In order to address questions of global importance related to functional marine biodiversity, marine conservation and effective governance, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) has created an integrative postdoc pool, HIPP. This aims to stimulate a holistic, innovative and interdisciplinary research environment to attend to the most pressing questions facing the marine environment: for nature and people combined, The HIPP offers postdoctoral scientists the opportunity to develop their own research ideas and to actively shape their scientific careers. For each call, we set a topical context in order to foster interconnection and collaborations between postdocs.For this call, we seek to hire a strong team of researchers, open and enthusiastic about interdisciplinary work, who will address the theme of “Making sense of tipping points for biodiversity: ecosystem and societal perspectives“ in collaboration with the broader HIFMB community. We envisage a cohort that jointly develops novel research approaches to tipping elements in both natural and societal dimensions. Each of the subprojects (outlined below) shall explicitly work with concepts of connectivity and isolation as well as scale (local to regional). We explicitly encourage asking whether adaptation and adapting – for environments and people – allows avoiding tipping in either emergent properties or single aspects of ecological systems or societal worlds . The entire cohort involves 5 subprojects with 1 postdoc position each.
Background
The significant ongoing change in Earth’s biosphere and the prospect of increasing pressure from climate change on the environment and society require attention. One of the most widely discussed and used concepts is the threshold concept — with the core idea of preventing tipping points to irrevocable change by staying within ‘safe operating spaces’.
In the discourse on planetary boundaries, it has been stated that the Earth has exceeded 6 out of 9 critical planetary boundaries due to anthropogenic impacts. Many questions arise regarding the scale of such boundaries of measurement (global boundaries versus regional and local processes, scale of management) and our ability to predict threshold pressure levels in relation to safe operating spaces. These questions become even more important in the topic of biodiversity change. Multiple dimensions of ecological processes may impair the detectability of tipping behaviour in the environment. At the same time, ecology has already developed a much better understanding of scale-transcending interactions between local processes (species interactions, tolerance to environmental change) and regional processes (dispersal, movement) that shape biodiversity (e.g. in terms of metacommunity concepts). One of the exciting results of this research is that biodiversity loss can be prevented both by spatial rescue effects (immigration of new biodiversity) between localities or by local adaptation within, but both processes affect each other.
Moreover, when the concept of tipping points (in the narrow sense of characterizing certain dynamics) is moved towards the policy domains, novel constructs emerge. Limits are suggested, recommended, promoted and even enforced through socio-political processes. They are made by people, and also impact people (unequally and not always positively), complicating potential action of environmental measures . For societies, there is also a relationship between the global and the local in governance, i.e. are the problems facing specific sites in the oceans best governed through focus on the oceans themselves or rather on the drivers of these changes which may derive far beyond these areas, on land? A critical question is also when societies themselves are “tipped” into action. What role does time play in responding to a changing world?
Subproject 5 requires developing an understanding of theories of time and temporality in the critical humanities and social science literatures, and following this an analysis of time (linear and non-linear) linked to the development of targets around biodiversity tipping points measures. It will work with this conceptual basis to critically analyse current target setting processes and their dynamics. The applicant should decide which target processes linked to biodiversity, which might be most useful to address in the project, in collaboration with other postdocs and subprojects. This post also considers the link between scales – local and global – in how targets are established and enacted temporally. In sum, it aims to address three major questions: 1) How does linear time play a role in targets – what are the historic timelines for targets linked to tipping points? What can we learn about the governance processes – what hinders and prevents ‘quick’ decision making, is ‘quick’ always necessary and ‘good’ and how can we balance urgency with action and the ‘right’ action (and for whom)? Who or what may be harmed by targets as well as helped? 2) How does non-linear time play a role in targets – by this we mean the role of amnesia, forgetting, and other memory ‘work’ – where we seem to repeatedly repeat or ‘ramp up’ targets and the logics underscoring them in spite of their lack of ‘success’, and moreover, recycle the same ideas as those politically and scientifically ‘accepted’ but without, always, evidence of efficacy . 3) How does time and space coalesce in governance – what kinds of spatial scales link to target setting and realisation?
Requirements
- PhD in a humanities or social science discipline such as human geography, political ecology, political science, anthropology, sociology, marine social science (at the time of taking up the position)
- Experience in qualitative social science and humanities methodologies (for example critical discourse analysis, textual analysis, archival methods, in-depth interviewing, etc)
- Evidence of experience in publishing and presenting research in appropriate forums, commensurate to career stage.
- Knowledge in the marine social sciences would be of benefit
- Ability to work in an interdisciplinary environment (evidenced by previous working across natural and social science/humanities interfaces in previous research, positions, etc.)
- Excellent oral and written English skills
- Enjoy to work in a diverse, international community
The HIPP fosters networking between marine institutions and this project involves PIs from HIFMB and international collaborators on various tasks. HIFMB further strives for transformation and bridging the science-policy interface. Therefore, experience or interest in transfer activities is a plus.
If you have any questions about the application procedure, please feel free to contact Ruth Krause. If you have content-related questions, please contact Prof. Dr. Kimberley Peters.This is a full-time position, limited to 3 years. It is also suitable for part-time employment. The salary will be paid in accordance with the Collective Agreement for the Public Service of the Federation (Tarifvertrag des öffentlichen Dienstes, TVöD Bund), up to salary level 13. The place of employment will be Oldenburg.
Postdocs have to register with AWI’s postdoc office PROCEED, thereby gaining access to a set of tailor-made career development tools.
We offer
- An interdisciplinary research environment with expertise in experimental and field oriented marine ecology, data science, modelling, marine governance and political ecology.
- Career development support through transdisciplinary workshops, seminars and mentoring at the Graduate Academy of Oldenburg University and AWI’s postdoc office PROCEED.
- A lively international atmosphere and family-friendly environment.
Equal opportunities are an integral part of our personnel policy. The AWI aims to increase the number of employees who are women, and therefore, strongly encourages qualified women to apply.
Applicants with disabilities will be given preference when equal qualifications are present.
The AWI fosters the compatibility of work and family in various ways and has received a number of awards as a result of this engagement.
Please submit your application by August 24th, 2024 exclusively online. Apply via original listing
Applications include an extended motivation letter and your academic CV with a list of the most important publications (please use attached template). In your motivation letter, please explain the background and existing knowledge in the context of the announced Postdoc position.Reference number: 24/68/G/Hipp-b