Doctoral student in biology with focus on tropical forest ecology and carbon dynamics

The University of Gothenburg tackles society’s challenges with diverse knowledge. 58 000 students and 6800 employees make the university a large and inspiring place to work and study. Strong research and attractive study programmes attract researchers and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, the University contributes to a better future.

At the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences (BioEnv) we have teaching and research activities that stretch from the alpine ecosystem, through forests, cultivated land and streams, all the way into the marine environment. In these environments we study different levels of biological organisation from genes, individuals, and populations, to communities and ecosystems. We work within ecology, evolution, physiology, systematics, and combinations of these fields to understand the impact of natural and anthropogenic changes of the environment.

The department is placed at two different localities: in Natrium at Medicinaregatan 7B in Gothenburg and at the Kristineberg marine research station operated by the Marine Infrastructure at the University of Gothenburg. The current employment is based at Natrium.

General information about being a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg can be found on the university's doctoral student pages. Doktorand

We offer

The University of Gothenburg is a state authority, which means special benefits, more holidays and a great pension. You can read more about our employment benefits here.

Project description

Forests gain and lose biomass not only through tree growth and mortality, but also when living trees lose branches or parts of their crowns and subsequently recover. These non-lethal fluxes are largely invisible to conventional forest inventories and are therefore poorly represented in forest carbon budgets. This PhD position is part of TWIG, a five-year ERC Starting Grant project that will combine repeated terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) with long-term forest inventories to directly quantify damage, recovery and biomass redistribution in tropical forests. The doctoral student will analyse environmental and biological drivers of tree-level biomass fluxes and investigate the ecological aftermath of small-scale disturbances. The student will participate in field campaigns, help coordinate measurements with local teams, and analyse multi-temporal 3D data using quantitative, spatial and causal-inference approaches. More specific questions and analytical developments will be refined by the doctoral student together with the supervisor.

The research will focus on two intensively monitored, mature tropical forest sites: Amacayacu in the Colombian Amazon and Alto da Figueira in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The student will be hosted at the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences under the main supervision of Dr. Daniel Zuleta. The doctoral student will work closely with two TWIG postdoctoral researchers, MSc and BSc students, local field teams in Colombia and Brazil, and international collaborators with expertise in tropical forest monitoring, terrestrial laser scanning and vegetation modelling.

The project is connected to the strategic research area BECC (Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in a Changing Climate; becc.lu.se) and may contribute to international forest research initiatives including ForestGEO, GEO-TREES, and the Alliance for Tropical Forest Science Mortality Working Group. The doctoral student will therefore work in an international research environment with opportunities for cross-training in tropical forest monitoring, 3D remote sensing, and quantitative ecology.

Duties

The main task is to conduct the PhD thesis work under supervision, which includes development of the PhD student's methodological experience, analytical skills, as well as theoretical depth and breadth. Techniques used within the project may include terrestrial laser scanning, point-cloud and 3D canopy analysis, forest inventory methods, environmental and tree-attribute measurements, spatial statistics, causal inference, and programming in R and/or Python. The studies will be conducted mostly as a combination of tropical field studies and computational analysis. Specific research topics associated with the research project include tropical forest dynamics, structural damage and recovery, tree biomass fluxes, canopy-gap dynamics, biodiversity effects and remote sensing.

Education at third-cycle level comprises four years of full-time study, and leads to a doctoral degree. As part of your employment as a doctoral student, you may have departmental duties corresponding to up to 20 % of full-time employment, distributed throughout your study period. Departmental duties usually consist of teaching at first- and second-cycle levels, but may also include research and administration.

Eligibility
Education at third-cycle level requires general eligibility and, where appropriate, specific eligibility as set out in the general syllabus for the subject.

The general eligibility requirements for education at third-cycle level are:

1. having completed a degree at second-cycle level, or

• the fulfilment of course requirements totalling at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits must be at second-cycle level, or

1. the acquisition of equivalent knowledge in some other way, either in Sweden or abroad.

To meet the specific entry requirements for third-cycle studies, applicants must:

1. have a second-cycle (advanced-level) degree in a relevant* subject area in the natural sciences, or
2. have completed studies for at least 60 higher education credits at a second-cycle level in relevant subject areas in the natural sciences, or
3. have completed a corresponding programme of relevance to the planned third-cycle programme, in Sweden or in another country, or have equivalent qualifications. *Relevant subject for the planned third-cycle education are biology or environmental sciences.

Assessment criteria

The selection of applicants who meet the basic and specific eligibility requirements will be based on the ability to assimilate the education at third-cycle level.

It is a requirement that the applicants have:

- Knowledge of ecology, with particular relevance to forest ecology, tree demography, biodiversity and/or ecosystem dynamics

- Strong analytical skills in producing, handling and interpreting ecological or environmental data

- Quantitative and computational skills, including experience with statistical analysis and programming in R, Python or a comparable environment

- Ability to think creatively and to work independently as well as collaboratively in an international research team

- Willingness and ability to conduct extended field work in tropical forests in Colombia and Brazil

Excellent communication skills in English, both written and spoken, are necessary since we work in an international environment.

Other desirable qualifications are:

- A MSc or BSc project in a topic relevant to tropical forest ecology, forest dynamics, remote sensing or quantitative ecology

- Knowledge of tropical forest ecology, forest inventories, tree demography or carbon dynamics

- Experience conducting field work under remote or logistically challenging conditions

- Experience with advanced quantitative methods, such as causal inference, Bayesian statistics, hierarchical models or spatial analysis

- Experience working collaboratively in field or research teams

- Experience with remote sensing, terrestrial laser scanning, LiDAR, 3D point clouds or related spatial data

- Experience with scientific writing, a thesis of high quality and/or scientific publication(s)

- Experience coordinating field measurements or working with field crews

- Language skills in Spanish or Portuguese, or willingness to learn one of these languages

- Willingness to teach undergraduate/master students at the host department

The application should preferably be written in English and must include:

• A short cover letter with the applicant’s justification for the application, i.e., that describes how the applicant meets the selection criteria (no more than one page)
• An attested list of qualifications (CV) (no more than three pages)
• Examination certificates and a transcript of courses with grades
• A copy of the Master thesis (or equivalent)
• Employments certificates and other documents deemed important by the applicant

The top ranked candidates will be selected for an interview, which will be held in English and could also be performed digitally.

Employment
Once you have been admitted for education at third-cycle level, you will be employed as a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg. The provisions for employment as a doctoral student can be found in ordinance SFS 1993:100. Initial employment as a doctoral student may apply for a maximum of one year, and may be renewed by a maximum of two years at a time. A doctoral student may be employed as a doctoral student for a maximum of eight years, but the total period of employment may not be longer than the equivalent of full-time education at third-cycle level for four years.

Placed at the department of Biological and Environmental Sciences. Extent: 100%. First day of employment: February 1st, 2027 or upon agreement.

The University applies a local agreement on salaries for doctoral students.

Contact information

For further information please contact:

Daniel Zuleta, Associate Senior Lecturer
Email: daniel.zuleta@bioenv.gu.se
Webpage: Danielzuleta

Åsa Arrhenius, Head of Department
Tel. +46 31 786 26 25
Email: asa.arrhenius@bioenv.gu.se

If you have any questions about the employment process, please contact HR at the Department of Biological and Environmental Science, hr@bioenv.gu.se

Union

Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here:
Hjalp for sokande

How to apply

You can apply to be admitted for education at third-cycle level via the University of Gothenburg’s recruitment portal. It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per the vacancy notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline.

The application must be received no later than November 19, 2026.

The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.

Salaries are set individually at the University.

In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden’s regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.

In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.