An exciting postdoctoral research fellow opportunity is available at the University of Queensland with the McDonald-Madden lab which focuses on solving complex environmental decisions.
The position will assess the ecosystem-wide risks of threatened species translocation. This work will be done in collaboration with Eve McDonald-Madden (UQ), Nicola Mitchell (University of Western Australia), Mark Burgman (Imperial College), Nick Dexter (Booderee National Park), Margaret Byrne (Department of Parks and Wildlife WA) and Scott Morrison (The Nature Conservancy California). Briefly:
Introducing threatened plants and animals to novel environments, or reintroducing them where they previously persisted, is a growing focus of conservation. However, moving species can have unanticipated negative impacts on other species in the ecosystem. Despite the International Union for Conservation of Nature deeming ecosystem-wide risk assessments as essential for conservation translocations, currently no framework exists for assessing these risks and informing translocation decisions. This project develops a partnership with leading Australian environment agencies and The Nature Conservancy, the world’s largest conservation NGO, to deliver the first quantitative risk assessment framework for determining the potential impact of the movement of threatened species.
Information about the position and application process can be found at http://jobs.uq.edu.au/caw/en/job/500242/postdoctoral-research-fellow. Applications close 17 April 2017. Any enquiries about the role can be directed to Eve McDonald-Madden at e.mcdonaldmadden@uq.edu.au.