Engineer or 12-month postdoctoral researcher (renewable for a further 12 months): INRAE Nancy France

Context, project and methods
French forests are bearing the brunt of the consequences of climate change (droughts, heatwaves, storms, insect infestations, etc.), which in turn affects the many services they provide to humanity (timber, biodiversity reserves, carbon sequestration, regulation of biogeochemical cycles, supply of drinking water, etc.). The adaptation of forests to global changes has therefore become a major issue, and if you wish to get involved in this major environmental challenge, join us in the SLAM-B project of the national program PEPR FairCarbon!

We are addressing three major scientific challenges: (i) developing integrated modelling and assessment approaches to simulate forest adaptation and anticipate the consequences for forest-based sectors by enhancing the functionalities of the MAELIA platform (http://maelia-platform.inra.fr/), (ii) demonstrating the relevance and validity of these approaches within Scenario Labs, which include the Doller Valley in Alsace—an area already heavily impacted by climate change (spruce, fir)—and, (iii) producing tailored knowledge for public decision-makers at national and European level. Work has already been carried out in this valley to, on the one hand, identify the stakeholders (nursery operators, forestry cooperatives, the National Forestry Office (ONF), local councils, the Chamber of Agriculture, industry, citizens, etc.), their types, their interactions, government incentives (recovery plan, various grants) and the markets for timber and timber products; and, secondly, to co-develop with the various stakeholders prospective scenarios on the future of the forest. The sustainability of forest stands and their regeneration will be simulated on a shared platform (https://capsis.cirad.fr/capsis/presentation) using the Forceeps forest dynamics model (https://capsis.cirad.fr/capsis/help_en/forceeps). Finally, Maelia and Capsis are now interconnected, enabling the testing of various prospective scenarios at the regional level (100 km²).

Tasks
Your tasks will be to:
-Compile the input data for MAELIA and Capsis (soil, forest stands with different tree species, mixed or otherwise, silvicultural practices, meteorological forcing, satellite and LIDAR data, monitoring posts recording the microclimate of the soil and vegetation), based on existing databases and expert advice,
-Instantiate stakeholders, their properties (in particular their decision-making dynamics in the face of climate change) and external factors (biophysical constraints, various incentives, market) within the MAELIA platform, 
-Instantiate the territory in all its diversity (the entire territory for MAELIA / representative plots for Capsis), and validate these instantiations with local researchers and stakeholders.
-Use both platforms to simulate the future scenarios devised by stakeholders from these initial situations during the co-construction workshops already held. These simulations will inform the discussions and actions required to maintain the forest in this valley, as well as the multiple services it provides (timber production, non-timber production, water quantity and quality, recreation, landscape,  

Required profile
Recommended qualifications: PhD, engineering degree, Master’s in forestry, environmental science or ecology.

Recommended knowledge: 
•    Geomatics: Handling and modification of spatial data (e.g. QGIS)
•    IT: Object-oriented programming languages (Java, Python, etc.)
•    Statistics: Use of R combined with spatial data, 
•    In-depth knowledge of forestry sciences (silvicultural practices)
Desirable experience: use of forest growth or dynamics models, handling of spatial data in forestry
Required skills: Ability to work in a team, analytical mind.

Terms of employment 
Location: INRAE Centre in Nancy 
12-month contract (INRAE fixed-term contract), renewable for a further 12 months
Start date: as soon as possible 
Salary: commensurate with experience (INRAE pay scale)
BEF welcomes candidates with diverse backgrounds and experience. We view gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset.

To apply
Your application must include:
. a curriculum vitae including a list of publications
. a covering letter

Please send to: Laurent Saint-André laurent.saint-andre@inrae.fr (BEF unit),  Arthur Lenoir,arthur.lenoir@inrae.fr and Olivier Therond, olivier.therond@inrae.fr (LAE Project Officer and Head of SLAMB)

POSITION
Fixed-term contract     Public sector contract    Employment rate 100%,     Keywords
Modelling, spatial data, forests