The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and the Royal Museum for Central Africa are looking for a Citizen Science Coordinator (m/f/x) for a fixed term contract (09/2022-12/2023)
Citizen Science is the involvement of volunteers in various stages of scientific research projects, including data collection, data analysis and dissemination of the results. It can generate large datasets and at the same time increase informal learning and stimulate exchange between citizens and scientists. It is playing an increasingly important role in scientific research at the global level, also in Belgium.
The Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences (RBINS) and the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) are looking for a full-time scientific profile to coordinate the ongoing activities in the field of Citizen Science and to find synergies with Belgian and European partners to strengthen the presence of the two institutions in this field. The candidate will be based in the RBINS but will take up a transversal role between both institutions.
You will mainly work with the two people in charge of this initiative and will be required to collaborate with the scientists responsible for participatory science activities in both institutions.
In order to respond to the needs for coordination of the existing activities mentioned below, but also to the increasing needs both in terms of societal challenges - such as a) impacts on biodiversity (and climate change) through environmental data collection via observations and b) the importance of connecting science to society, responding to public distrust in research, and the desire of citizens to get involved in science - a coordinator position would help both institutions to address these national and European challenges in a tangible way.
The tasks will cover 3 strands:
a. Support to RBINS and RMCA scientists in planning and implementing Citizen Science (CS) projects:
b. Strengthen our position within Belgian and European networks
c. Organise events for researchers and other stakeholders in CS
In addition, you will:
Master's degree in communication and/or science, with a minimum of 2 years' experience and at least experience in two of the tasks below:
Please send your letter of application and CV before 10 June 2022 to the following addresses:
Email : carole.paleco@naturalsciences.be
Email : Tine.huyse@africamuseum.be
The selected candidates will be invited by email for an oral interview between 21st and 23rd June 2022, which will be organised either physically at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Science or virtually online.
The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) 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. This results in a high range of datatypes which requires a solid data management approach.
The institute is looking for a "scientific data manager” to coordinate the improvement of the data management infrastructure meeting the needs of the users regarding the data accessibility of the highly diverse datatypes, which are handled by the researchers and the collections, in agreement with the latest data requirements and regulations.
The selected candidate will work in close collaboration with the Biodiversity and Ecosystems Data and Information Centre (BEDIC) within the Operational Directorate “Natural Environment”, who is, amongst others, in charge of the management of biodiversity and oceanographic data resulting from the federal monitoring programmes of the marine environment and from research projects in marine sciences. Furthermore, you will maintain close relations with the IT department, Scientific Collections, and the other directorates of the institute.
More information on the activities of RBINS can be found at https://www.naturalsciences.be/
Applications, consisting of a motivation letter, a curriculum–vitae and a copy of the relevant diplomas, must be submitted by email on Wednesday, 25 May 2022, at the latest to Ruth Lagring (rlagring@naturalsciences.be).
The candidates who passed the first screening will be invited for an interview on May 30 (to be confirmed). The contract should start as soon as possible.
The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS, Belgium) is recruiting a scientific collaborator (M/F/X) in the context of marine multi-use and ecosystem-based marine spatial planning. The new collaborator will be engaged in the currently ongoing UNITED project (https://h2020united.eu) and in the MarinePlan project, which will start in Autumn 2022. Both projects are funded through the European Union’s Horizon 2020/Europe programme.
The research group MARECO (Marine Ecology and Management, https://mareco-odnaturenaturalsciences.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 monitoring programmes that assess the environmental status of the marine environment and study the environmental impact of human activities at sea. The team uses state-of-the-art research equipment, modern lab facilities and the new research vessel RV Belgica. MARECO provides scientific services, including access to the 'Artificial Hard Substrate Garden' and identification of marine organisms.
This vacancy is situated within the MARECO activities with regard to environmental impact assessment and marine spatial planning, more specifically on (a) the assessment of economic, social and environmental viability of multi-use activities, and on (b) ecosystem-based marine spatial planning to achieve environmental policy objectives.
The focus of the new collaborator will be on (1) the assessment of economic, social and environmental gain of multi-use (in collaboration with the UNITED consortium), (2) giving advice and support to the Belgian pilot of UNITED, which focusses on offshore wind, seaweed and oyster cultivation, and oyster reef restoration (in close collaboration with the Ghent University), (3) develop and apply a decision support system for ecosystem-based marine spatial planning (in collaboration with the MarinePlan consortium), and (4) evaluating and synthesizing ecosystem-based marine spatial planning and planning optionsfor achieving EU biodiversity goalsin the Southern North Sea case study (led by RBINS but in collaboration with the MarinePlan consortium).
START AND WORKING PLACE
If interested, please send your motivation letter, CV and a copy of your Master’s Degree diploma, with reference “MarinePlan” the latest by 6 June 2022 to Mrs. Yolande Maes(ymaes@naturalsciences.be).
For more information:
Interviews with pre-selected candidates will take place on 20 June 2022. Only applications that meet the profile and that are received in time will be taken into consideration.
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.
Ghent University is one of the most important educational and research institutions in the Low Countries. More than 9000 employees and 41000 students live up to the motto “Dare to Think” every day. Ghent University's mission statement is characterised by qualitative
education, internationally renowned research, and a pluralistic social responsibility. The Marine Biology Research group (www.marinebiology.ugent.be) as part of the Biology Department and Faculty of Sciences, has a long tradition in marine research with a focus on benthic ecosystems. Both aspects of biodiversity and the link to ecosystem functions and services, as well as the sustainable management of marine ecosystems and their biological resources, are key research areas.
The Ecosystems data processing and modelling unit at RBINS and the Marine Biology Research group at UGENT are looking for a full-time (100%) Doctoral student to investigate Benthic iron cycling in fjord environments (4 years, f/m/x)
Iron availability limits marine productivity and controls the intensity of the biological carbon pump and oceanic CO2 uptake. Dissolved iron (dFe) is only present in trace concentrations in seawater because it is very insoluble in oxygenated seawater. The sources of dFe to the ocean thus regulate its availability for primary productivity. Glacial meltwaters represent an important source of iron to the ocean. A large fraction of glacial meltwaters transit through fjords before reaching the open ocean. Because of its low solubility, iron recycling from fjord sediments, and in particular the activity of the benthic communities, plays a critical role in modulating ice-to-ocean iron fluxes. However, the impact of benthic fauna on fjord iron cycling and ice-to-ocean fluxes remains largely unquantified.
This PhD project will target benthic iron cycling in fjord sediments, with particular attention to the role of benthic macrofauna communities. The successful candidate will participate in research cruises to Iceland and Greenland, collect and process sediment samples, and identify benthic communities. Iron minerals will be characterised through a series of laboratory extractions. The PhD student will be engaged in the interdisciplinary research project CANOE (‘Climate chANge impacts on carbon cycling and fOod wEbs in Arctic fjords’). This project aims to investigate the influence of glacial melt on biogeochemistry and food web structure and stability in Greenlandic fjords.
We seek a candidate with a background in marine science, biogeochemistry, biology, or related fields.
The selected candidate will be jointly supervised by Dr. Ulrike Braeckman (UGent) and Dr. Sebastiaan van de Velde (RBINS), will be affiliated with both RBINS and UGent and is expected to closely interact with all involved institutes.
We are looking for a flexible and creative person, who is highly motivated to tackle new and complex questions at the interface between physics, geochemistry, and biology.
You hold a masters degree (MSc) - or are expected to have one before the starting date of the position - in marine science, biogeochemistry, biology, or a related discipline in the Natural Sciences, and have a strong interest in cross-disciplinary research.
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.
We offer a 4-year PhD researcher position to analyze the offshore sedimentary record
to reconstruct a relative sea level (RSL) curve for the Holocene, which is poorly constrained so far for the Shetland Islands, in order to more accurately assess run-up heights of the palaeo-tsunamis.
The PhD researcher will use a combination of coastal geological research techniques, such as coring and microfossil analysis, geochemical analysis, fabric analysis, geochronology and multivariate statistics in combination with onshore mapping, multibeam bathymetric mapping, sub-bottom and high-resolution reflection seismic profiling. The aim is to develop a new RSL curve for the region by collecting new sea-level data from the Shetland Islands and by coupling onshore and offshore sea-level index points into a record to improve regional GIA models.
The PhD student will be based at the Geological Survey of Belgium and enrolled at the Department of Geology at Ghent University. The PhD supervisors will be Prof. Vanessa Heyvaert at Ghent University/Geological Survey of Belgium (UGent/GSB), Prof. Sue Dawson (University of Dundee, UK) and Dr. Max Engel (University of Heidelberg, Germany). It is expected that the PhD student will spend considerable time at the co-supervisors’ institutions to receive specialist training in specific methods and techniques (e.g. diatom analysis) and to apply these methods and techniques to the project data.
Tentative start date: 1 September 2022. The position is initially for one year, but it will be extended to a maximum of four years after positive evaluation. The PhD student will be employed by the GSB, but enrolled for his PhD study at Ghent University. More information about PhD studies at Ghent University can be found here: https://www.ugent.be/en/research/doctoralresearch.
The PhD researcher will work in tandem with a second PhD researcher, who will be hired by Ghent University. This second PhD project will largely use the same data, but with a focus on the sedimentological study of offshore tsunami deposits (see vacancy on: https://www.ugent.be/en/work/scientific, under Department of Geology).
Both positions are funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO) under the collaborative research Grant “Storegga and beyond – North Sea tsunami deposits offshore Shetland Islands (NORSEAT)”. This project has been awarded in the framework of a special programme to stimulate innovative scientific research using Belgium’s new RV Belgica II. We urge applicants to consider applying for both positions.
Application to be submitted electronically in a single PDF file, by e-mail, to Prof. Vanessa Heyvaert (Vanessa.heyvaert@naturalsciences.be). Deadline : 10/06/2022
Application should Include CV, a motivation letter and an overview of study results (transcript of records).
All applications will be assessed after the deadline and shortlisted candidates will be contacted for a remote interview.
Contactpersoon
Prof. Vanessa Heyvaert (vanessa.heyvaert@naturalsciences.be)
Postdoctoral Fellow in Marine Ecological Modeling at KU Leuven and Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Belgium (extended call)
The Department of Biology of the University of Leuven (KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium) and the Operational Directorate Natural Environments of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS, Brussels, Belgium) have an opening for a postdoctoral fellow in Marine Ecological Modelling.
The position, based in the groups of Filip Volckaert (KU Leuven) and Geneviève Lacroix (RBINS), is funded for 18 months within the project “Marine Solar POtential and Technology Study - MarineSPOTS”, funded by the Energy Transition Fund of the Belgian Federal Government. The Biodiversity and Evolutionary Genomics group of Filip Volckaert focuses on marine ecological and evolutionary questions regarding connectivity, seascape genomics and the genetic basis of adaptation. The group of Geneviève Lacroix focuses on marine ecosystem modelling. The current call is an extension of a previous call.
The project will investigate the impact of floating structures on the ecology of the North Sea. The first major goal of the project is to model the impact of shading on phytoplankton productivity with the hydrodynamic model coherens and the biogeochemical model miro&co (Dulière et al. Hydrobiologia 2019). The second goal is to model the impact of stepping stones on marine functional connectivity with the coherens model coupled to the individual based model larvae&co (Barbut et al. L&0 2019).
You will be in charge of the design and implementation of the management scenarios within miro&co and larvae&co models, and the analysis of the output.
Ideally, you have a profound interest in individual based and biogeochemical models in a marine context. You have earned a PhD in a relevant field of oceanography, marine science or related discipline.
The position is shared between the Laboratory of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Genomics at the Department of Biology of the KU Leuven https://bio.kuleuven.be/eeb/lbeg and the Operational Directorate Natural Environments at the RBINS https://odnature.naturalsciences.be. Both teams have a long-standing collaboration on the modelling of dispersal with individual based models (Lacroix et al. J Sea Res 2013; Lacroix et al. Glob Change Biol 2018; Barbut et al. ICES J Mar Sci 2020). The successful candidate will have a unique opportunity to take advantage of both these excellent academic environments. More information about the current research group and ongoing projects in both groups can be found at https://bio.kuleuven.be/eeb/lbeg and https://odnature.naturalsciences.be. You will work in Leuven and Brussels. Leuven is a historic, dynamic and vibrant city located in the heart of Belgium, within twenty minutes from Brussels. Brussels is the capital of Belgium and the European Union, hosts a rich cultural program and a vibrant international community, and is located less than two hours from Paris, London and Amsterdam
KU Leuven and RBINS are modern employers and offer an excellent working environment where staff can contribute their strengths, experience and ways of thinking. KU Leuven and RBINS seek to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairment. The compatibility of career and family is of central importance to us. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support at KU Leuven, please contact us at diversiteit.HR@kuleuven.be. The ‘Gender Equality Plan’ of RBINS can be consulted at https://www.naturalsciences.be/en/about-us/home [our Gender Equality Plan].
Applications should include a cover letter with a concise statement about your previous education and research experience, your vision for the future and in particular your motivation to work on this project (1 page maximum), a curriculum vitae, copies of your academic qualifications, a commentary on your 5 most significant publications, and names and contact information of 2-3 academic references (please do not include letters with the application). Any questions about the position can be directed to Filip Volckaert and/or Geneviève Lacroix. Screening of applicants will begin immediately, and the closing date is 31 May 2022. We look forward to receiving your application through the online application tool (https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/60094830).
Geneviève Lacroix glacroix@naturalsciences.be; phone +32 2 672 42 99
Filip Volckaert filip.volckaert@kuleuven.be; phone +32 16 32 39 72
Send your profile by email to jobs@naturalsciences.be
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