6 PhD Positions and 1 Postdoc Position in a Social-Ecological Systems Approach to Inform Ecosystem Restoration in Rural Africa

Ecosystem restoration is a global challenge. The German Research Foundation is funding a new research
project that will investigate the social and ecological consequences of ecosystem restoration in rural Africa, with a particular focus on western Rwanda, and in collaboration with many Rwandan stakeholders.
Official advertisements will go online over the next weeks. The envisaged starting date for all open positions is approximately October 2023. To make sure you receive the official advertisement when it goes online, please register your interest now by sending your CV and a short statement of your interest. We welcome applications from all countries, but are especially looking forward to applications from Rwanda.

The research is organized into several sub-projects, which are summarized briefly below.

Sub-project 1: Biodiversity impacts
This sub-project will investigate the effects of ecosystem restoration on biodiversity, and especially on woody vegetation and birds. One PhD position will be advertised within this sub-project. If you would like to register your interest for this position, please send your CV to vicky.temperton@leuphana.de and carbon copy your email to joern.fischer@leuphana.de

Sub-project 2: Landscape context and connectivity
This sub-project will use remote sensing and GIS to investigate the effects of ecosystem restoration on landscape context and landscape connectivity, and will model landscape-level biodiversity effects. One PhD position will be advertised within this sub-project. If you would like to register your interest for this position, please send your CV to joern.fischer@leuphana.de and carbon copy your email to tobias.kuemmerle@hu-berlin.de

Sub-project 3: Governance for justice
This sub-project will investigate restoration governance, and the outcomes of different restoration activities with respect to equity and justice. One PhD position will be advertised within this sub-project. If you would like to register your interest for this position, please send your CV to jacqueline.loos@leuphana.de and carbon copy your email to joern.fischer@leuphana.de

Sub-project 4: Social cohesion
This sub-project will investigate the effects of ecosystem restoration on community cohesion, including which specific aspects of restoration activities facilitate, hinder or otherwise shape social cohesion. One PhD position will be advertised within this sub-project. If you would like to register your interest for this position, please send your CV to Katharina.Loehr@zalf.de and carbon copy your email to joern.fischer@leuphana.de

Sub-project 5: Food security and livelihoods
This sub-project will investigate material benefits of ecosystems to people. Specifically, it will focus on the effects of ecosystem restoration on food security and livelihoods, both at the household and at the landscape level. One PhD position will be advertised within this sub-project. If you would like to register your interest for this position, please send your CV to meike.wollni@uni-goettingen.de and carbon copy your email to joern.fischer@leuphana.de

Sub-project 6: Nature’s contributions to people
This sub-project will investigate the immaterial benefits of ecosystems for people. It will elicit the values, rules and knowledge that shape how people’s relationship with nature has changed with restoration, both in the study area and beyond. One PhD position will be advertised within this sub-project. If you would like to register your interest for this position, please send your CV to plieninger@uni-goettingen.de and carbon copy your email to joern.fischer@leuphana.de

Sub-project 7: Living lab
This sub-project will work together with local stakeholders to trial new approaches to ecosystem restoration that seek to further improve social and ecological outcomes beyond the status quo. One postdoc position will be advertised within this sub-project. If you would like to register your interest for this position, please send your CV to stefan.sieber@zalf.de and carbon copy your email to joern.fischer@leuphana.de

The research will be led by Joern Fischer, Vicky Temperton, Tobias Kuemmerle, Jacqueline Loos, Berta Martin-Lopez, Katharina Löhr, Meike Wollni, Tobias Plieninger and Stefan Sieber. It will also involve a diversity of Rwandan institutions. For general information, email joern.fischer@leuphana.de