The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS, Belgium) is recruiting a PhD student (M/F/X) in the context of marine mammal conservation and underwater acoustic research. The new collaborator will be engaged in ongoing marine mammal research within MARECO including the PUREWIND (https://www.jpi-oceans.eu/en/pure-wind) and SEADETECT (https://www.naval-group.com/en/launch-life-seadetect-project-led-naval-g...) projects, which started early 2023. These projects are funded through the European Union’s LIFE and JPI Oceans program respectively.
The research group MARECO (Marine Ecology and Management, https://mareco-odnature-naturalsciences.be/), part of the Operational Directorate Natural Environment (OD Nature) of the RBINS has in-depth expertise with regard to marine research in various research domains. MARECO attaches great importance to the link between research and policy support. MARECO contributes to environmental impact assessment, environmental status assessment and marine spatial planning. The team coordinates multiple environmental monitoring programs that assess the status of the marine environment and study the impact of human activities at sea. The team uses state-of-the-art research equipment, modern lab facilities and a new research vessel.
This vacancy is situated within the MARECO activities with regard to marine mammal conservation and underwater acoustic research, more specifically in contributing to the SEADETECT and PUREWIND projects which aim to quantify and mitigate human pressures on marine mammal populations.
The focus of the new collaborator will be on (1) applying passive acoustic monitoring to determine the response of cetaceans to industrial activities, (2) contributing to project deliverables and milestones, updating project partners and preparing reports for the EU funding agencies, (3) transferring knowledge and insights to national and EU policy frameworks.
Working place: RBINS Brussels (Vautierstraat 29 - 1000 Brussels)
If interested, please send your motivation letter, CV and a copy of your diploma, with reference “PureWind” the latest by April 14th 2023 to Yolande Maes (ymaes@naturalsciences.be).
For more information:
- Concerning the job content or working conditions: Dr Bob Rumes (brumes@naturalsciences.be, +32473251563)
- Concerning RBINS in general: https://www.naturalsciences.be
Interviews with pre-selected candidates will take place from April 20th onwards.
Only applications that meet the profile and that are received in time will be taken into consideration.
Possible startdate: 1 juni 2023.
The Department of Geology and Applied Geology at the University of Mons (UMONS; Mons, Belgium) and the Operational Directorate ‘Earth & History of Life’ at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS; Brussels, Belgium) jointly offer a full-time position (Prf-2022-035 - Evolution of growth in tetrapods: heterochronic shifts and environmental influences) (each with an appointment of 50 %) in the context of the BELSPO FED-tWIN research programme (Programme of sustainable research cooperation between the Belgian federal scientific institutes and universities). The 50 % appointment at UMONS is a post-doc position. The 50% appointment at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences is a contract of indefinite duration as a work leader (salary scale SW2).
The university of Mons (UMONS) is comprised of more than 700 researchers in 80 research units across its 10 faculties and schools. There are currently 10 autonomous research institutes in which the university is organised. Each institute brings together the expertise of many researchers from all the UMONS faculties and schools, with the scope of responding to societal needs and enhancing local economic and training development. The institution is the largest higher education and research community in the province of Hainaut. UMONS has strong international outlook by promoting scientific collaborations and synergies across the globe, hosting foreign students and researchers as well as supporting the mobility of its students and its researchers, particularly in European programmes such as ERASMUS. Through its research and close links with industry, UMONS is also plays an important role in regional development. The University is involved in numerous research programmes, both fundamental and applied, at a regional level but also at European and international levels. The university hosts collections of, among others, mineralogical and paleontological specimens that were collected back to the 19th century.
The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) is one of the ten federal scientific institutions that are governed by the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO). The institute aims to provide the scientific world, public authorities and civil society with good and relevant science, appropriate advice, opening up avenues of discovery in nature, its long history and its sustainable management. One in three people employed at the RBINS is a scientist. The scientific staff includes mainly biologists, paleontologists and geologists, but also oceanographers, anthropologists, prehistorians and archaeologists, as well as geographers, physicists, bioengineers and mathematicians, which facilitates multidisciplinary research. With more than 38 million specimens in its collections, RBINS is among the largest natural sciences institutions in Europe.
Research
Teaching
Services
You have a PhD in Sciences (Biology or Geology) degree that was obtained maximally 12 years before the end date of the period within which you can apply for this vacancy. This maximum period of 12 years for possession of a doctorate is extended by one year for every absence due to pregnancy, parental or adoption leave, as well as any long-term absence due to illness of the candidate or/and long-term absence due to illness of a family member of the first degree. You have 2-9 years of postdoctoral experience.
The administrative language at UMONS is French. If you do not speak French (or do not speak it fluently) at the start of your employment, UMONS will provide language training to enable you to take part in administrative meetings.
Before taking on teaching in French or English, you will be given the opportunity to learn French, or English, up to the required standard.
The UMONS offers:
Place of employment:
The candidate will be required to work 50 % at each institute according to the regulations of each institute.
For further information you can contact, preferably by e-mail:
You can apply for this vacancy no later than 30 days via jean-marc.baele@umons.ac.be (and Cc
candidatures@umons.ac.be and pgodefroit@naturalsciences.be):
Please add to your application the following documents:
UMONS and RBINS seek to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact candidatures@umons.ac.be or HR@naturalsciences.be.
The selection committee will review all of the applications as soon as possible after the application deadline. As soon as a decision has been made, we will inform you about the next steps in the selection procedure.The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences is a world-class research institute with more than 250 scientists and scientific collaborators covering a wide range of disciplines from biology to geology, oceanography to taxonomy, and palaeontology to ecology. Research at RBINS is used to support national and international decision-makers, which enables our researchers to have a direct impact on society. The Ecosystems data processing and modelling unit (ECOMOD) within the Operational Directorate Natural Environment (OD Nature) (https://odnature.naturalsciences.be) is specialized in hydrodynamic and biogeochemical modeling, with a strong focus on coastal environments.
The Ecosystems data processing and modelling unit at RBINS is looking for a full-time Marine scientist to quantify benthic fluxes from marine sediments for 3 months.
For upcoming research campaigns to the Icelandic continental shelf and Greenlandic fjords, we aim to make accurate measurements of benthic fluxes of alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon and nutrients. These fluxes are key to understanding larger scale processes of primary productivity and oceanic carbon dioxide uptake in the Arctic region. For these campaigns, we will be using a benthic lander (from the University of Gothenburg). We seek a candidate with a background in marine science, marine engineering, or related fields.
The selected candidate will be expected to join the upcoming cruises (planned from June – August 2023) and prepare the benthic lander for deployment, as well as manage sample collection after retrieval. The candidate will be supervised by Dr. Sebastiaan van de Velde (RBINS).
We are looking for a technically experienced person, who is highly motivated to work under sometimes difficult conditions at sea.
We encourage diversity and attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.
The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS, www.rbins.be) is one of the ten federal scientific institutions that are governed by the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO). The institute aims to provide the scientific world, public authorities and civil society with good and relevant science, appropriate advice, opening up avenues of discovery in nature, its long history and its sustainable management. One in three people employed at the RBINS is a scientist. The scientific staff includes mainly biologists, paleontologists and geologists, but also oceanographers, anthropologists, prehistorians and archaeologists, as well as geographers, physicists, bioengineers and mathematicians, which facilitates multidisciplinary research. With 38 million specimens conserved as Belgian heritage of global significance, the RBINS collections constitute a central point for multiple research projects, as well as for permanent and temporary exhibitions.
Let's shape the future – University of Antwerp
The University of Antwerp (UAntwerpen, www.uantwerpen.be) is a dynamic, forward-thinking, European university. We offer an innovative academic education to more than 20000 students, conduct pioneering scientific research and play an important service-providing role in society. We are one of the largest, most international and most innovative employers in the region. With more than 6000 employees from 100 different countries, we are helping to build tomorrow's world every day. Through top scientific research, we push back boundaries and set a course for the future – a future that you can help to shape. In its pursuit of international excellence, the University of Antwerp is a true research university with a particularly strong expertise in the following spearhead areas in research: Imaging; Neuroscience; Infectious diseases; Drug research; Material characterization; Ecology and sustainable development; Port, transport and logistics; Big city, history and contemporary policy; Socio-economic policy and organization.
The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Antwerp have the following full-time vacancy (100%) available. This position consists of two related appointments in the context of the federal government's FED-tWIN funding program, in particular:
FED-tWIN is a federal research program of the Federal Public Service Science Policy Programming Service (BELSPO) with the aim of stimulating sustainable cooperation between ten federal science institutions and Belgian Universities trough the funding of joint research profiles.
This vacancy is part of the FED-tWIN research profile Prf-2022-008 - MEATLOAF - The evolutionary shift of Meat-EATing mammals to life in water: a deep time, multi-proxy investigation of the LOcomotion And Feeding adaptions of aquatic carnivorans. You implement the FED-tWIN MEATLOAF research profile in the RBINS (50%) and the UAntwerpen (50%).
The RBIN’s Paleobiosphere Evolution research unit (Operational Directorate Earth and History of Life) and the Functional Morphology research group (Department of Biology) of the University of Antwerp aim to develop a new avenue of research on aquatic carnivorans, in the fields of paleontology, evolution and functional morphology. Together, these institutions have extensive experience in these fields and house world-class collections of fossil and extant aquatic carnivorans, as well as highly complementary skills, labs and facilities. The proposed profile will make a strong link between the two institutions, with a view to creating a hotspot in the field of aquatic tetrapod evolution and functional morphology.
Brief description of the MEATLOAF project
Among mammals, aquatic taxa within the order Carnivora, or “meat-eaters”, show an 'incomplete' transition to life in the aquatic environment: pinnipeds, otters, polar bears, and even the fishing cat rely heavily on water for feeding, but none are exclusively aquatic and they all still return to land to rest, give birth, etc. The transition from a terrestrial to a (semi-)aquatic lifestyle is an impactful biological shift, prompting various physiological and anatomical adaptations. The repeated evolution of a semi-aquatic lifestyle in Carnivora begs the following questions: Which environmental and ecological changes triggered this transition in each group? How did these carnivorans functionally adapt to life in water? What are the similarities and differences among these groups, and between aquatic carnivorans and other aquatic mammals? And, more specifically, what is the extent of morphological and functional convergences?
The MEATLOAF project aims to investigate the different evolutionary aspects of this transition in carnivorans from land to water, specifically targeting adaptations for locomotion and feeding, using a variety of well-supported proxies organized along two main approaches: (1) a comparative approach, documenting the morphological diversity and shifts in morphology, and (2) a modelling approach, focusing on performance and loading of the recorded morphologies. Comparative aspects will include anatomical, systematic and phylogenetic analyses, as well as geometric morphometric and microanatomical-osteohistological aspects to quantify internal and external morphology. The modelling approach will encompass functional analyses, finite element analyses, computational fluid dynamics, and musculo-skeletal modelling. A synthesis of the results of these different packages will ultimately result in a time-calibrated assessment of the paleoecological and paleoenvironmental frameworks in which these groups evolved to life in water, in order to better understand the biotic and abiotic drivers of such a major, iterative transition.
The following knowledges and experiences are assets
The University of Antwerp offers:
The date of commencement of employment with both institutions is no later than March 14th, 2024.
https://www.uantwerpen.be/nl/jobs/vacatures/ap/?q=2702&descr=Doctor-in-S...
Click on 'apply', complete the online application form and remember to include the following documents: (1) your motivation letter, (2) your academic CV, (3) a copy of the required diploma, and (4) a criminal record declaration.
If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions or send an email to jobs@uantwerpen.be. If you have any questions about the job itself, please contact Dr. Olivier Lambert (olambert@naturalsciences.be) and Dr. Sam Van Wassenbergh (sam.vanwassenbergh@uantwerpen.be) (reference: FEDTWIN / MEATLOAF application).
The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversity and attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.
Send your profile by email to jobs@naturalsciences.be
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