Call for PhD Candidate on Woody invasive alien species in Ethiopia

Call for PhD Candidate

Woody invasive alien species in Ethiopia: assessing their impacts on ecosystem services and rural livelihoods on watershed level Background: CABI Switzerland, in collaboration with Swiss, Ethiopian, Kenyan, Tanzanian and South African  research institutions, is implementing a project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the  Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC). This project aims to help mitigating the effects of woody invasive alien species (IAS) on biodiversity, ecosystem services (ES) and human well-being in selected study areas  in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. To achieve this goal, we will generate and share knowledge on invasion processes and on context-dependent effects of woody IAS. Additionally, we will elaborate sustainable control measures and develop and document Sustainable Land Management (SLM) strategies that mitigate the negative effects of woody IAS in Eastern Africa.

PhD Position: Within this project, an exciting PhD position is available at the Water & Land Resource Centre (WLRC; http://www.wlrc-eth.org). The PhD aims to assess and understand effects of woody IAS on ecosystem  services within the watershed, and on the ability of competing agro-pastoral and pastoral communities to secure access to grazing land and water through adequate watershed and conflict management. Specific goals of the study include: (1) the assessment and mapping of the spatial extent of IAS distribution; (2) the assessment ofnon-monetary and monetary impacts on biodiversity, ES and rural livelihoods. Existing woody IAS distribution data of Gabi Rasu (Afar region) will be updated with recent Landsat 8 and field data, and used for training and validation of models integrating existing digital elevation models, soil type data, hydrologic network data, census data, livelihood data, data on pastoral migration pattern, climate data and biodiversity hotspot data. A modelling approach based on the identification and assessment of functional landscape units will be selected.

The PhD candidate will be based at WLRC in Addis Abeba and registered at Haramaya University

(http://www.haramaya.edu.et). He/she will have to conduct extended field research in Gabi Rasu.

Required competences

 Master in natural science or related fields, preferably with a background in GIS or remote sensing

 Excellent skills in geospatial modelling and/or remote sensing

 Experience with stakeholder or institutional analysis are an asset

 High social competences in interacting with stakeholders at different levels

 Excellent skills in oral and written communications (English)

 Great interest in working with an interdisciplinary and international team

 Willingness to travel and work in the field for extended periods

What the research project offers

 Work in a strong international team

 Training in inter- and trans-disciplinary research 

 PhD salary – as per the Centre’s scale (in addition to salary being paid by home institution). 

 Field expenses and travel allowances

 Supervision by experts from WLRC, University of Haramaya and the Centre for Development and 

Environment (CDE; https://www.cde.unibe.ch), Switzerland

Application: Please send a CV, academic transcript, contact details for at least two academic references, and a brief outline of research interests to Dr. Tena Alamirew Agumassie (tena.a@wlrc-eth.org). Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until 31. December 2014. Informal inquiries are welcome. Short-listed candidates will be contacted immediately after the deadline to set up interviews. The envisaged start date for the project is March/April 2015.