Post-doctoral position (M/F) 22 months at CEFE Montpellier, France : Testing the relationships between diversity and drought resistance using an integrated forest model

Job Description

Missions

The successful candidate will be responsible for three main tasks:
i) Running simulations with the PHOREAU model to evaluate its ability to reproduce results from manipulation experiments. ii) Compiling model outputs from all DroughtForC contributors. iii) Comparing model outputs. iv) Using this evaluation to produce longer-term projections at a larger spatial scale.

Activity

The candidate will carry out simulations and analyses, and will coordinate simulation work with other project partners.

Your Profil

Skills

• PhD in ecology, forestry, or a related field, with a strong background in ecology and ecophysiology, and a keen interest in interactions between the carbon cycle, water balance, and forest dynamics. Experience with one or more of the models listed above will be an asset, but is not required.
• Strong skills in ecological modelling, programming, and data analysis in R; proficiency in Java is strongly recommended.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Good interpersonal skills for teamwork.

Your Work Environment

We are recruiting a Research Associate (CDD) for a 22-month position to work on the effects of climate change on forest functioning, by comparing the performance of several models — ranging from empirical to ecophysiological models — in their ability to reproduce the observed effects of drought on carbon fluxes, growth, and survival of forest stands.
This project is part of the DroughtForC project (PEPR FairCarboN 2024–2028 – coord. Jean-Marc Limousin), entitled: "Drought impacts on carbon stocks and fluxes in forest ecosystems: experiments and modelling".
The successful candidate will be based at the Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive (CEFE) in Montpellier, and will be supervised by Xavier Morin (CEFE) and other collaborators, including Nicolas Delpierre (ESE, Université Paris-Saclay), Maxime Cailleret (INRAE), and Nicolas Martin (URFM, INRAE Avignon).
________________________________________
Context and objectives of the postdoctoral project
Forests are terrestrial ecosystems of major importance, and the forests of metropolitan France are among the most extensive and diverse in Europe, ranging from Mediterranean ecosystems to Alpine forests.
Like most terrestrial ecosystems, French forests are increasingly affected by ongoing climate change, particularly by more frequent and intense drought episodes, which alter their functioning and threaten their role as carbon sinks. Their vulnerability is expected to increase further in the coming decades due to more frequent and severe droughts and heatwaves.
In this context, the aim of the postdoctoral project is to mobilise and compare the outputs of several mechanistic forest functioning models — including PHOREAU, CASTANEA, MUSICA, and NoTG — in order to better understand and quantify the effects of drought on the carbon balance of French forests. The work will be structured around three complementary axes. First, the models will be validated against carbon flux data continuously measured at forest sites within the ICOS network, drawing on carbon budgets and, where available, growth data. Second, model predictions will be confronted with data from rainfall exclusion experiments at AnaEE sites, in terms of carbon balance and water stress (and/or growth), in order to assess their ability to simulate forest responses to contrasting water deficits. Finally, once the models have been validated at the site scale, the postdoctoral researcher will conduct upscaling exercises to extrapolate results to a national scale, thereby contributing to improved projections of the French forest carbon sink under climate change.

Work environment
Montpellier in general, and CEFE in particular, offer a highly stimulating scientific environment, with numerous researchers working in ecology, evolution, agronomy, and environmental sciences.
The candidate will join the FORECAST team (https://www.cefe.cnrs.fr/fr/recherche/ef/forecast) and will be expected to coordinate collaborative work within the DroughtForC project, working in close collaboration with Xavier Morin and other project partners.
CNRS offers a complementary health insurance plan (MGEN), with 50% of the premium covered by the employer.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

from 3071.50€ 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

The research professions