PhD candidate in terrestrial quantitative ecology

About the position
At the Department of Arctic and Marine Biology (AMB), Faculty of Life Sciences, Fisheries and Economics (BFE), there is a vacant position as a research fellow affiliated with the research group "Northern Populations and Ecosystems". The position is part of the new Centre for Biodiversity Forecasting. 
AMB consists of 6 research groups and the COAT centre (Climate-Ecological Observation System for Arctic Tundra). Research and teaching at AMB has a broad scope, from molecular mechanisms at the cellular/subcellular level, via studies of adaptations at the organismal level, to ecological interactions in aquatic and terrestrial environments. The staff consists of 52 permanent scientific employees, 28 technicians, 9 administrative positions and 65 temporary employees (researchers, postdoctoral fellows, PhD fellows, technicians). The position is for a period of three years. The purpose of the position is to complete research training up to a doctorate. Admission to the PhD program is a prerequisite for employment, and the program period starts upon taking up the position.
The position is for a period of three years. The fellowship position is an educational position and has completed research education up to a doctorate as the goal. Admission to the doctoral program is a prerequisite for employment and the study period starts upon taking up the position.
The place of work is UiT in Tromsø. It is expected that the candidate will spend periods at collaborating institutions, in particular the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. It is desirable to take up the position in late autumn 2026. You must be able to start the position within a reasonable time after receiving an offer.
The position's research field
The position is part of the new Center for Biodiversity and Projections (CBF), which is one of the four new centers for sustainable land use funded by the Research Council of Norway. The PhD project is anchored in research area 1 (Process-based projections) and specifically contributes to WP 1.1 (Fundamentals of process-based spatial and temporal modelling) and WP 1.2 (Integration of multiple drivers). CBF builds on a strong network of
collaborating research institutions, including the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), SINTEF and Nord University.
The position will also be part of the COAT centre (Climate-ecological observation system for Arctic tundra; www.coat.no), which involves the Norwegian Institute of Natural Sciences (NINA), the Norwegian Meteorological Institute (Met) and the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI).
The position is located at the interface between terrestrial ecosystem ecology and quantitative projection models. The candidate's main supervisor will be Nigel G. Yoccoz at UiT, with co-supervisors from UiT, NTNU and research institutes in Tromsø. Through CBF, one gains access to a very strong group of quantitative ecologists and statisticians with both national and international collaborators and through COAT, one has access to world-class data on Arctic terrestrial ecosystems.
The project
The overall scientific challenge is to develop and evaluate short-term, iterative, ecological projections of essential biodiversity variables (EBVs). This will be done by further developing existing projection models. Current projection models have been developed separately by COAT for individual species (red grouse, domestic reindeer, little goose), functional groups (small rodents, gauges) or ecosystem components
(birch forest, tall shrubs and dwarf shrubs). Connecting the different models into a comprehensive framework, as well as taking into account the spatial heterogeneity of the tundra and subarctic birch forest ecosystems, requires significant statistical development of ecological projection models.
The PhD project aims to develop these models in close collaboration (co-construction) with local stakeholders, especially Finnmarkseiendommen (FeFo). The candidate's work will contribute new tools and knowledge to the management of terrestrial ecosystems, in particular to contribute to synergies and trade-offs between biodiversity conservation, reindeer herding, harvesting and renewable energy. The work will include iterative model evaluation to further improve the models. As part of the position, the candidate is therefore also expected to participate in fieldwork. The candidate will thus work closely with statisticians, quantitative ecologists, climate scientists and managers across the collaborating institutions. The position focuses on the environmental challenges facing Arctic and subarctic ecosystems with both