What's New

GLP Fellow Eric Lambin seeks two post-doctoral associates for a 2-year appointment to conduct cutting-edge research on public and private governance of land use in the developing world. Start date is January 15, 2019.

The successful candidates will be based at Stanford University, in northern California. Applicants must have a Ph.D. and must demonstrate a deep knowledge of the land system science and governance literature, and strong skills in data collection and multivariate statistical analysis. A publishing record in peer-reviewed journals is required.

These positions require creativity, strong analytical skills, and experience with conducting interviews in the field. The successful applicants will be part of a team of researchers that conduct pioneering research on land use and coupled human-natural systems. The exact research topics will be defined in conversations with Eric Lambin.

The interdisciplinary nature of the research environment will provide opportunities for interactions with researchers from a range of natural and social science disciplines at Stanford University.

These are 2-year appointments, with the possibility of a six-month extension, and a competitive salary and benefit package. Applicants should send a letter of motivation, curriculum vitae, and the names and email of three potential references to Eric Lambin (elambin @stanford.edu) as one PDF file attached to an email.

Population is a quarterly scientific journal published in English (Population-E) and in French (Population-F) by the French Institute for Population Studies (INED).

The Population Young Author Prize is open to PhD students and young researchers working in the field of population studies and will be awarded to the most outstanding original paper submitted to the competition jury.

For more information, see https://iussp.org/sites/all/modules/contrib/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4666&qid=1697758

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Population est une revue scientifique trimestrielle publiée en français (Population-F) et en anglais (Population-E) par l’Ined.

Les étudiant·e·s en thèse et les jeunes chercheur·e·s travaillant dans le domaine des études de population sont invité·e·s à proposer un article original pour concourir au prix jeune auteur·e de la revue Population.

Pour plus d’informations : http://www.revue-population.fr/prix-jeune-auteur/

The School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) at the University of Michigan is seeking applications for a full-time, nine-month, tenure-track Assistant or Associate Professor in Spatial Science of Coupled Natural-Human Systems.

SEAS seeks applicants whose work advances the frontiers of knowledge in natural-human system processes and relationships at diverse scales using theories, methods, and tools of spatial science. Topical areas of interest are broad. These could include human dimensions of global change as they relate to biodiversity loss, land-cover/land-use change, urbanization, climate change, ecosystem services and valuation, material and energy flows, and environmental degradation, among others.

To apply and for more information, see http://seas.umich.edu/form/assistant_or_associate_professor_spatial_science_coupled_natural_human_systems

In the Group Science, Engineering & Technology, Faculty of Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Division of Geography and Tourism, there is a full-time academic vacancy in big data and human-environment systems, at the Arenberg campus in Leuven. The main mission of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences is to carry out state-of-the-art scientific research with respect to the functioning of geo- and ecosystems at different spatial and temporal scales, including the interaction between humans and the environment and the sustainable management of natural resources. The Division of Geography and Tourism currently has 11 professors. The division conducts research and provides academic training in the interrelated fields of earth surface processes and climate, society and space, tourism research and education in geosciences. The division has long-term research experience in socio-ecological and socio-economic relations. Moreover, geographical information systems and analysis of spatio-temporal data are a core pillar of our research and educational programmes. To further strengthen these components, the division is looking for an internationally oriented candidate with a strong track record in human-environment systems, using opportunities arising from the growth in data availability.

To apply and for more information, see https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/54567601?hl=en&lang=en

The Centre for Fertility and Health of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (Oslo & Bergen, Norway) is strongly committed to the education and engagement of young researchers and has established the Gro Harlem Brundtland Visiting Scholarship. This visiting scholar program hosts young researchers from Norway and abroad to engage in collaborative research and to participate in and enrich the research community at the Centre and at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. The center is currently accepting applications for this visiting scholar program.

For more information, see https://www.fhi.no/en/more/research-centres/Centre-for-fertility-and-health/the-gro-harlem-brundtland-visiting-scholarship/

The Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) seeks applications for a postdoctoral fellowship on African city food systems, beginning early September 2018. The postdoc will be based in South Africa for approximately 75% of the time and work as a guest researcher in the Netherlands for the remaining time.

The research forms part of an international collaborative project under the auspices of LEAP-Agri (http://www.leap-agri.com/) and includes researchers from South Africa, Uganda, Netherlands and Belgium. The project aims to promote sustainable and nutrition-secure city food systems by developing knowledge and tools for local and national development planning. The research will be undertaken in two case studies (Cape Town and Kampala) and includes (i) characterizing city food systems through identifying key food system activities, drivers, feedbacks and outcome indicators; (ii) modelling current food systems dynamics and exploring alternative futures; (iii) developing response strategies that target local and national development planning; and (iv) running and evaluating knowledge co-production and participatory planning approaches for achieving impact.

Key activities of the postdoc:
•    Developing a model to represent food system dynamics across the urban, peri-urban and rural landscapes of the case studies with inputs from the project team and stakeholders on food system activities, key drivers, feedbacks and outcome metrics
•    Translating narrative scenarios of alternative food futures to quantitative scenarios that can be modelled
•    Exploring the trade-offs and synergies presented by these alternative scenarios in terms of the different outcomes identified by stakeholders
•    Producing spatial products and tools for city planners
•    Synthesizing results of research in peer-reviewed journal articles
•    Supervising Masters-level researchers in collection of field data and analysis of the results
•    Presenting results to academic and policy audiences in meetings, forums, workshops and conferences
•    Overseeing meeting and travel logistics undertaken by Masters-level researchers and secretarial support
•    Working with the project coordinator to implement the project activities across a geographically-dispersed project team

Requirements:
•    PhD in one or more disciplines that are broadly associated with land system science (e.g. geography, agriculture, environmental science, natural resource economics, ecology, social sciences and humanities), with a strong research interest in urban food systems and a good academic record.
•    Programming experience (e.g. in R, Python and/or Google Earth Engine) to allow customization and coupling of existing land use and other related models
•    Advanced skills in analyzing geospatial data in GIS (e.g., ArcGIS, QGIS, etc.) and the ability to source, manage and harmonize diverse data types in spatial analyses across a range of spatial scales
•    Experience in research focused on food systems dynamics, social-ecological systems, scenarios planning, and/or ecosystem services is a strong advantage
•    Demonstrated track record in writing scientific publications
•    Excellent communication skills in English – both orally and written
•    Ability to work collaboratively in the transdisciplinary space in developing countries, with academics, businesses, and government agencies at different scales and across different sectors
•    Ability to ensure that professional ethics are followed in gathering, processing and disseminating research information so that the rights, interests, values and welfare of people who take part in the research are not compromised
•    Strong interest in integrating knowledge across the natural, social, economic and health sciences, and in developing science-based products that meet policy and implementation needs

Logistical requirements:
•    Availability for regular meetings with the project team and other project-related meetings
•    Availability for research exchange visits to the Netherlands
•    Willingness to travel locally and internationally for meetings as required (meetings may take place in all four partner countries – some of these may be virtual and others than face-to-face)
•    Driver’s license
•    Ideally be a resident of an African country

The candidate will be based approximately 9 months per year at the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Research Group of CSIR in South Africa and visit IVM of VU for about 3 months per year.     The fellowship includes a living allowance of € 1,750 per month that will be paid from the project through the VU in the Netherlands.

In addition, the project will reimburse research costs, such as travel between South Africa and the Netherlands during the project and an accommodation allowance while on research exchange in the Netherlands. 

The fellowship will be awarded initially for one year and upon good performance a prolongation for another 2 years will be offered. The candidate is expected to pay all health insurance, housing and other insurances from the fellowship

Applicants should send a full CV, contact details for three references, and a cover letter that details their interest in the position and outlines their relevant skills and experience. The cover letter should be a maximum of 2 pages.

Please submit all materials as one pdf file. The submission should be made by email with subject line ‘Postdoc Application: LEAP-Agri’ to Ms Marjolijn Staarink (marjolijn.staarink @vu.nl). 

Contact Dr Jeanne Nel (j.l.nel@vu.nl) should you have questions.

These positions are located primarily in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the Regional Commissions. DESA is a vital interface between global policies in the economic, social and environmental spheres and national action. The incumbent typically reports to a Senior Officer, Head of Unit, or Chief of Section. The typical job in this area is Associate Statistician, and may also be Associate Population Affairs Officer.

Applicants with expertise in Demography who are interested in positions as Associate Population Affairs Officers are encouraged to apply for the YPP examinations either in Statistics or Social Affairs.

The YPP examination in Statistics covers a wide range of topics in the areas of probability theory, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and demographic, social, economic and environmental statistics, accounts and indicators.

Successful candidates will be considered for YPP positions as they become available throughout the Secretariat, including field offices. Initial appointments will be for two years and subject to review for a continuing appointment. The Organization promotes mobility within and across duty stations and job families.  For more information, see https://careers.un.org/lbw/jobdetail.aspx?id=97438

To learn more about the Young Professionals Programme (YPP), visit:
https://careers.un.org/ypp

Annonce en français et inscriptions:
https://careers.un.org/lbw/jobdetail.aspx?id=97438&lang=fr-FR

Pour plus d’infos sur le Programme Jeunes administrateurs (YPP) :
https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=NCE&lang=fr-FR

Visioneering is XPRIZE’s main channel for designing prizes that solve humanity’s Grandest Challenges. Rooted in its passion for harnessing the power of the global crowd to develop such solutions, for the first time ever XPRIZE is inviting the world to participate in Visioneering. From designing prizes, to evaluating prize designs, to participating in the Annual XPRIZE Visioneering Summit, XPRIZE will tap into the collective genius around the world to deliver prize designs that are elegant, massively impactful, and funded to launch.

The designers of the best concepts will work with experts at XPRIZE to further refine their concepts and develop them into the robust, incentivized competitions that take a global stage at our premier annual event, Visioneering 2018.  Participants will be eligible to win prizes up to $100k in value.
 
5 Grand Challenge Areas:
•    Off-Grid Energy Access, Sponsored by Kingo
•    Feeding the Next Billion, Co-sponsored by The Tony Robbins Foundation & the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR)
•    Lifting Farmers out of Poverty, Sponsored by Gagan Gupta
•    Natural Disaster Prediction, Sponsored by Fairfax Financial Holdings
•    Saving Coral Reefs, Sponsored by XPRIZE Ocean Initiative

For more information and to register, see https://www.xprize.org/visioneering.

This contest includes two different prize categories:

Category A: Models of Management and Technology that contribute to sustainable water management. Submissions in this category include projects/ideas/technology that have proven to improve water management.

Category B: Educational project or activity addressed to children or teenagers. This includes initiatives or projects aiming at raising awareness of children and teenagers about different aspects of water resources and the importance of its sustainable management.


More information can be found at https://www.fundacionbotin.org/observatory-area/prizes-to-young-talent-applied-to-sustainable-water-management.html?lan=en

The researcher will contribute to the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant project MIDLAND (https://erc-midland.earth). Payments will be based on Belgian regulations, depending on prior research experience, and will include the benefits of the Belgian social security such as health insurance.

Objectives: To understand the conditions under which land governance in the emerging frontiers of northern Mozambique can be transformed to foster sustainable land uses and land use planning, by involving local and distant actors.

The work should: (i) Bring together public and private actors which typically operate at different scales, from global to local, (ii) Take into account tradeoffs between local realities and broader sustainability issues, and (iii) Articulate emerging private-led and market-based instruments of land use governance with traditional land use policies and public governance.

Research description: This research will investigate how land governance in the focal region, including land use planning, land tenure and land policies, can be transformed to foster sustainable land uses. The research will draw on workshops, supported by stakeholders analyses, mapping, tradeoffs analyses and scenario development, to bring together different public and private actors influencing directly or indirectly the land systems in the focus region, and which operate at different scales, from global to local. The work will explore various visions of land uses, sustainable intensification, and linkages between the study area and distant places, and will identify the key institutional entrepreneurs and agents of transformative change in land use, and the opportunities and current barriers for transformation.

Profile required: A researcher holding a PhD degree, experienced in social sciences theories and methods of transdisciplinary research and multi-stakeholders participatory approaches, qualitative and quantitative methods, institutional analysis, resilience, scenarios, as well as land system science.

Experience in studying deliberate transformation, transformative agency, institutional entrepreneurs and strategic fields are assets. Experience in tropical/developing regions, as well as ability to interact with different people ranging from rural smallholders to high-level decision-makers will be crucial. Knowledge of Portuguese is a requirement. Familiarity with the land use and political contexts in Mozambique are very useful. The candidate should demonstrate an excellent command of the English language, good communication skills, and ability to work in a research team and to establish a local and international network.

This position is for two years.

Candidates should submit a cover letter detailing qualifications and research interests, CV, and names and contacts of three referees to:

Prof. Patrick Meyfroidt
patrick.meyfroidt @uclouvain.be

The Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES), with the support of the Agence française de développement (AFD), the French Institute for Demographic Studies (INED) and the French Museum of Natural History (MNHN), is organizing an international conference on the links between human mobility, climate and environmental changes. The aim is to capture the complexity and multiplicity of interactions between migration and environment as brought to light by recent or ongoing research, taking explicit account of inequalities in the populations under study. The approach aims to be broad-based, and proposals are welcome not only from the field of demography but also from related disciplines (geography, anthropology, sociology, economics, epidemiology and political science).

For more information, see https://www.researchgate.net/project/Migration-environment-and-climate-What-risk-inequalities

This is the first International Symposium focusing on the full complexity of changes associated with the transformation of tropical lowland rainforest into plantations systems such as rubber and oil palm with a focus on Southeast Asia. The Symposium aims at bridging disciplines and bringing together researchers from all fields of science integrating ecological and socioeconomic perspectives as well as stakeholders in the field of land use changes in tropical lowlands. It focuses on science-based approaches targeting at improving the ecological and socioeconomic functions of tropical lowland forests and agricultural transformation systems at a landscape scale.

For more information, see https://www.efforts-symposium.de//index.php?cat=show_start

ECLAC opens new call for the presentation of academic articles on population issues.  Up to September 20, 2018, contributions may be sent for edition 107 of Notas de Población, published by the Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Center (CELADE) - Division of Population of the UN Regional Commission.

The journal Notas de Población publishes original, unpublished articles on population studies, and has a multidisciplinary approach that covers not only the field of demography but also the links between demographic trends and economic and social phenomena and environmental sustainability. Articles should relate preferably to Latin America and the Caribbean, although contributions relating to other regions may on occasion be included.

Manuscripts must be drafted in Spanish, although in certain cases material may be submitted in other languages. If accepted for publication, the article would be translated into Spanish. Exceptionally, translations into other languages may be published with the author’s permission.

Guide for contributors: https://www.cepal.org/en/publications/type/notas-poblacion/guidelines-authors-notas-poblacion

The PAA Program Committee invites submissions from individuals or groups to conduct workshops in conjunction with the PAA 2019 Annual Meeting.  Workshops topics could include (but not limited to):  statistical methods, data set usage, data visualization, research communication, and professional development.  Workshop proposals that include a variety of instructional approaches and materials are strongly encouraged.

Submission
Proposals should include the following information:
- Proposed title and organizers (names, affiliations, emails)  Please identify one person as the primary contact person.
- Description of workshop objectives, goals, and expected outcomes.
- Statement on how the workshop can benefit PAA 2019 attendees.
- Description of target audience and estimated number of participants (minimum and maximum).
- Preferred workshop day(s) to be held: Tuesday, April 9th, Wednesday, April 10th, or Saturday, April 13th.
- Proposed workshop duration (1/2 day, 1 day, 1.5 day, 2 day), format, activities, and schedule.
- A/V needs beyond what is provided (see below).
= Short biographical sketches of presenters.  Please include a link to a current CV.

Deadlines & Requirements
Workshop proposals are due 16 September 2018.
Workshop proposals should be submitted in PDF format, and should be emailed to Danielle Staudt at danielle @popassoc.org. Accepted workshops will be notified by November 1, 2018.

Benefits for Workshop Organizers/ Presenters
- Free meeting room including wi-fi, laptop, projector, screen, and power strips throughout the room.
- Workshop information will be posted on PAA web and social media channels.
- PAA will manage the workshop registration process.
- PAA will cover one room night for up to two presenters at the host or overflow PAA hotel.  Two nights maybe available for workshops that are two days in duration.
- Complimentary registration for up to two presenters.

If you have any questions, please contact Danielle Staudt

Sustainability science deals with the interactions between the natural and the social systems and seeks to assess who these interactions affect the challenge of sustainability, namely to meet the needs of present and future generations while reducing poverty and conserving ecosystems. Such interactions have been conceptualized as nature-society interactions, social-ecological systems, biophysical-social systems or coupled human-environment systems.

Sustainability science spans across many disciplines within and between social and natural science and is therefore multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary. Because it seeks to contribute to transform society and combines fundamental and applied knowledge, it is also transdisciplinary.

In this session, the objective is to gather contributions that deal with core questions of sustainability by addressing social-ecological interactions, including:

•    Long-term trends and transitions in interactions between ecological and social systems
•    Risk and resilience in social-ecological systems
•    Theories and models of social-ecological systems, e.g. safe and just operating space
•    Distant social-ecological interactions, e.g. “telecouplings”
•    Sustainable management of land systems
•    Sustainability assessments and trade-offs between human-wellbeing and environmental sustainability

The organizers welcome contributions from junior and senior scholars with interdisciplinary and integrative scopes, as well as transdisciplinary contributions that address transformations to sustainability at the science-society interface.

For more information, see https://geoscience-meeting.ch/sgm2018/abstracts/abstract-info/

South Asia is undergoing rapid population growth and economic development with important feedbacks for environmental change. Resource demands associated with societal transitions continue to exacerbate air pollution. These pollutants combined with greenhouse gas emissions have important effects on regional climate processes, such as extreme events including heat waves and floods, and features of the regional monsoons. Such environmental feedbacks have important implications for the resilience of human systems (e.g., human health, livelihoods, food production) and environmental sustainability. This session brings together research on multiple dimensions of environmental change and impacts in South Asia to better understand connections between air pollution, climate, and implications for the growing and potentially vulnerable populations of the region. We encourage submissions on a range of sub-topics with a focus on South Asia including but not limited to: air pollution impacts on human health; climate change and its drivers; relevant impacts on poverty and food security.

For more information, see https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm18/prelim.cgi/Session/49763

The first order draft (FOD) of the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land is open for expert review until 5 August 2018, with registration closing 29 July 2018.

The expert review of the FOD is a key element of the IPCC assessment process, which helps ensure that the report provides a balanced and comprehensive assessment of the latest scientific findings.  The expert review process shall be objective, open and transparent, with a wide circulation that aims to involve as many independent experts as possible in the IPCC process, seeking a range of views, expertise, and geographical representation. Being an expert reviewer allows you to comment on the accuracy and completeness of the scientific/technical/socio-economic content and the overall scientific/technical/socio-economic balance of the draft according to your own knowledge and experience. For more information on the role of Expert Reviewers, see http://www.ipcc.ch/report/sr2/pdf/SRCCL_FOD_ExpertReviewer.pdf.

To become an expert reviewer, register online at https://www.ipcc.ch/apps/comments/srccl/fod/register.php