Two PhD fellowships and one postdoctoral fellowship linked to “CHIPOLATA – Climate change and harvesting impacts on the pelagic fish community of Lake Tanganyika”
Two PhD fellowships and one postdoctoral fellowship are available in the Landscape Genomics Group, Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Nord University, Bodø, Norway. The positions are funded by the Ministry of Education and Research and the Research Council of Norway and are associated with the project CHIPOLATA – Climate change and harvesting impacts on the pelagic fish community of Lake Tanganyika (project number 343414). Professor Joost Raeymaekers is head of the research group. The preferred starting date is 1st of January 2025 for the PhD positions, and any time after 1st of August 2024 for the postdoctoral fellowship.
More about the positions
CHIPOLATA is an international project aiming at a better understanding of the resilience of Lake Tanganyika’s pelagic fish stocks to potential climate change and harvesting impacts over the past 30 years. We are looking for candidates with strong interest and experience in one or more of the project themes, including foodweb ecology, climate change/fisheries-induced evolution, and fisheries biology:
- The postdoctoral fellow will study the structure and stability of Lake Tanganyika’s pelagic foodweb by analysing changes in trophic position and feeding habits, using a combination of stable isotope and diet information.
- The PhD fellows candidates will study changes in feeding habits, trophic position, trophic morphology, growth trajectories and population genetic structure over time to develop indicators for the resilience of three important fisheries targets: the freshwater sardines Stolothrissa miodon and Limnothrissa tanganicae, and the latid perch Lates stappersii.
The successful applicants will be part of an international team of researchers across Europe, Africa and the USA, connected by a common interest in Lake Tanganyika and enthusiasm for discussion, creativity and diversity in research. Throughout the project, we will collaborate with local researchers, fishermen and authorities to collect fish, analyze the data, and discuss how our insights in the ecological and evolutionary stability of the pelagic fish community can improve fisheries management in Lake Tanganyika and elsewhere.
All fellows will participate in field surveys at Lake Tanganyika, in close collaboration with local scientists and the project coordinator. Accordingly, the positions may involve a number of research stays of two to four weeks with project collaborators in DR Congo, Zambia or the USA. The postdoctoral fellowship will provide an opportunity for a candidate with prior postdoc experience to extend their skills in project management and student mentoring and move towards scientific independence.
All positions are located in Bodø in Northern Norway, which is perfect for outdoor enthusiasts.
How to apply
The three positions will be announced on our job portal https://www.jobbnorge.no according to the schedule below. It is only possible to apply for the positions via this portal. To apply, please make an account and submit your online application by the deadline.
| Position | Weblink | Application deadline |
| Postdoctoral fellowship | Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Ecology & Evolution (weblink will be active by mid-April) | 10 May 2024 |
| PhD fellowship 1 and 2 | TBA (weblink will be available by end of April) | 31 July 2024 |
For more information about the positions, please contact Joost Raeymaekers, joost.raeymaekers@nord.no.