(M/F) CDD Postdoctoral Position in Ecology-18 months

Job Description

Missions

The wolf population in France is monitored annually through a non-invasive genetic monitoring program conducted by the French Office for Biodiversity (Office Français de la Biodiversité, OFB) and the Wolf-Lynx Network. This monitoring provides estimates of population size and key demographic parameters, such as survival rates. The population is subject to regulated culling, the intensity of which has increased in recent years. However, despite the extensive monitoring effort, there is still limited knowledge about the effects of culling, as well as other sources of mortality, on wolf population dynamics in France.
The DYLOUP project, funded through the French National Action Plan for Wolves and Livestock Activities, aims to address this knowledge gap. Its objective is to improve our understanding of how different sources of mortality influence wolf population dynamics and thereby strengthen the scientific basis for conservation and management.
The first objective of the project is to integrate all available information (pedigree relationships, spatial locations, detection histories, etc.) to determine the social status and/or age class of individual wolves.
The second objective is to develop capture–recapture models that make use of non-invasive monitoring data while accounting for uncertainty in the assignment of social status and age class, in order to estimate temporal variation in mortality.

The successful candidate will focus on the second objective of the project and will be responsible for:
1. Developing a capture–recapture model to estimate temporal variation in different causes of mortality using monitoring data.
2. Developing a model that incorporates individuals' social status and age class, together with uncertainty in their assignment, in order to estimate temporal variation in mortality according to social status and age class.


Le projet DYLOUP, financé dans le cadre de l'appel à projets du Plan national d'action sur le loup et les activités d'élevage, s'attache à répondre à ce manque d'information. Son objectif est de mieux comprendre l'influence des différentes causes de mortalité sur la dynamique de la population de loups afin d'améliorer les connaissances scientifiques.
Le premier objectif consiste à croiser l'ensemble des informations disponibles (liens de parenté, localisation, historique des détections, etc.) afin de déterminer le statut et/ou la classe d'âge des individus.
Le second objectif vise à développer des modèles de capture-recapture permettant d'exploiter des données de suivi non invasives, tout en prenant en compte l'incertitude associée à la détermination des statuts et des classes d'âge, afin d'estimer les variations temporelles de la mortalité.

Le travail du post-doctorat se concentrera sur le second objectif du projet et aura pour missions de :
(1) développer un modèle de capture-recapture permettant de modéliser les variations temporelles des différentes causes de mortalité à partir des données de suivi ;
(2) développer un modèle intégrant le statut et la classe d'âge des individus, ainsi que l'incertitude associée à leur attribution, afin d'estimer les variations temporelles de mortalité selon le statut et la classe d'âge.

Activity

The successful candidate will:
• Prepare the database of wolf detections and non-detections.
• Develop and validate capture–recapture models.
• Conduct statistical analyses of the data.
• Contribute to the annual updates of demographic analyses of the wolf population.
• Prepare and publish scientific manuscripts.
• Participate in the communication and dissemination of project results.

Your Profil

Skills

We are seeking a candidate with expertise at the interface between ecology and statistical modelling.
The successful applicant must have:
• A PhD in Ecology.
• Strong practical experience in Bayesian statistical modelling.
• Demonstrated expertise in capture–recapture modelling and survival analysis, particularly age-dependent survival models and spatially explicit capture–recapture (SECR) models.
• Expertise in the population dynamics of large carnivores.
• Proficiency in R and NIMBLE.
• The ability to work independently, take initiative, and contribute proactively while collaborating effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English.
• Working knowledge of French (minimum B2 level) to communicate with local stakeholders.

Your Work Environment

The successful candidate will be based at the Centre for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology (CEFE, CNRS UMR 5175) in Montpellier, France, within the HAIR (Human–Animal Interactions) research group of the Department of Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation (DCB).
The postdoctoral researcher will be jointly supervised by Cyril Milleret, Olivier Gimenez (CEFE), and Rahel Sollmann (Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, IZW). The project will be carried out in close collaboration with the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) and the genetics team at Antagene.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

from €3,072 gross per month, depending on experience

Annual leave and RTT

44 jours

Remote Working practice and compensation

Pratique et indemnisation du TT

Transport

Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€

About the offer

About the CNRS

The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.

CNRS

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