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Beaufort Postdoctoral Researcher Inter-Species Interactions: Impacts of Top Marine Predators

Applications are invited for a seven year postdoctoral position on marine ecology / megafauna. The Beaufort Marine Research Award is grant aided as part of the Irish Government´s National Development Plan (NDP), by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (DCENR) and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (DAFF) under the Strategy for Science Technology and Innovation (SSTI) and the Sea Change Strategy.

The candidate will be a postdoctoral researcher, employed through the Coastal and Marine Resources Centre (CMRC), University College Cork http://cmrc.ucc.ie/ .

The project will be jointly implemented in partnership between University College Cork, the Marine Institute and Queens University Belfast.

Background:
The capability of fishing activity to alter fish populations and to impact on the ecosystem is considerable. There is now an acceptance that we must move away from traditional single stock fisheries advice and embrace a more ecosystem based approach to fisheries management. A sustainable fish stock is now a minimum criterion for fisheries management. However, an equally important goal is to maintain the overall quality of the ecosystem which supports the stock to be both productive and robust.

Project:
The overall aim of this Beaufort Marine Award is to harness and integrate the diverse research expertise required to develop a Centre of Excellence on the Island of Ireland that focuses on the development of an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAF). It brings together a consortium with a research track record that will collaborate to turn the available concepts and principles of an EAF into pragmatic action plans that can be used for the sustainable management of fisheries in the waters around Ireland. By doing so, the consortium will be cognisant of principles of ecosystems approach such as those outlined in International agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

As marine mammals and seabirds are located near or at the top of food webs they may have considerable impact on the structuring of pelagic ecosystems. The status of their populations reflect the health of the ecosystem and the sustainability at which it is being managed, thereby acting as high-trophic level indicators which can be used to inform management in an ecosystem approach to managing marine ecosystems. The objectives of this position are to assess the trophic interactions between top marine predators and fisheries in Ireland by determining abundance estimates, food consumption, at-sea distributions and habitat use of pinniped and seabird populations in selected study sites.

Candidate:
The Postdoctoral researcher will require the following skills profile:
* PhD with three years relevant research experience
* Knowledge of pinniped and seabird abundance estimate methodologies and other relevant survey methodologies
* Experience of GIS data modelling (e.g. ArcMarine), databases and metadata standards
* Experience with statistical analysis and statistical modelling e.g. GLMM and GAMM
* Experience with applying telemetry technologies (and spatial data analysis) to determine habitat use of top marine predators
* Experience of top predator dietary analysis (e.g. otolith ID, FASA and SIA)
* Understanding of current fisheries management practices, in particular in Irish waters
* Good publication track record
* Proven ability of team leadership and excellent oral and written communication skills
* Demonstration of project management and networking skills
* Proven ability to secure relevant research funding

Duration and salary:
Duration is 7 years conditional upon review at the end of year three.
Starting salary (gross) is 55,000 pa rising to 67,000 pa with annual increments.

Application: The closing date for applications is Friday 9th May 2008.
Candidates should submit their curriculum vitae including references via email to Grainne Lynch: grainne.lynch@ucc.ie.

Gerry Sutton, B.Sc, M.Sc., MIS. D
eputy Director Coastal & Marine Resources Centre ERI,
University College Cork,
Naval Base,
Haulbowline,
Cobh,
County Cork,
Ireland.
Tel: +353 21 4703113
Fax: +353 21 4703132
<http://crc.ucc.ie/>