PhD Studentship Available in ‘Valuing Marine Ecosystem Services in Costa Rica’

The Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology GmbH (Leibniz-ZMT GmbH) in Bremen is a member of the Leibniz Association, which is supported by the German Federal and State Governments. Through its research, Leibniz-ZMT GmbH contributes to developing science-based strategies for sustainable use of tropical coastal systems. they have one position available for a PhD student in the project ‘Valuing Marine Ecosystem Services in Costa Rica’. This studentship is being offered in cooperation with the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, to begin in Autumn 2015.

Description: The project seeks to assess the sustainability of the fisheries in the Nicoya gulf of Costa Rica, one of the largest and most overfished tropical estuaries in Central America. Applying state-of-the-art economic valuation techniques as part of a large inter-disciplinary team, the successful applicant will develop an innovative approach to valuing past and future environmental changes in the fishery by linking economic data (fish price, catch etc.) to biological changes in the fishery as predicted by the ECOPATH II, a trophic model for estimating changes in biomass at different trophic levels. The project will also attempt to predict future demand of ecosystem services as a result of changing environmental, biological and anthropogenic drivers such as marine tourism.

Supervisors: Professor Dr. Douglas MacMillan (University of Kent), Professor Dr. Matthias Wolff and Professor Dr. Achim Schlüter (both ZMT).
The PhD candidate will get a contract for three years. Salary will be paid according to the German TV-L EG 13/half-time position (50%). It is anticipated that the student will register for the PhD at the Jacobs University, Bremen. The Leibniz ZMT GmbH is an equal opportunity employer. Disabled persons with comparable qualification receive preferential status.
More details on the project and the collaborators are available at the Homepage: www.zmt-bremen.de

Requirements: Applicants should have a First or Upper Second Class undergraduate degree in biological or environmental science and a higher degree at Master’s level with a strong component of environmental/ecological economics. Good communication and writing skills in English and Spanish are welcome. Students with a strong interest in interdisciplinary research and experience of modelling would be an additional plus.

Application: Please send your complete set of application documents (including covering letter, CV and copies of relevant certifications) as a single pdf file by E-Mail to I. Sanz Jannke (bewerbung@zmt-bremen.de) and indicate the above mentioned reference number. Deadline for applications is June 30, 2015. Only short-listed candidates will be notified.