General information
The "Groupe Ecole Supérieure d´Agriculture (ESA)" is recruiting a post doctoral ecologist to
join its « LEVA - Laboratoire d´écophysiologie végétale & agroécologie » research laboratory.
In collaboration with the Institut National d´Horticulture and its « Unité Propre Paysage », the
post-doc will participate in a research project entitled : « Biodiversity and its interactions with
viticulture in a wine-growing area in the west of France : case study of a local initiative in a
controlled origin appellation (AOC Saumur-Champigny) ». The French Ministry for the
Environment (MEDAD) is financing this project as part of a national programme, « DIVA 2 »,
on political action, agriculture and biodiversity.
The general objective is to study the contribution of viticulture to the maintenance of
biodiversity in the Saumur-Champigny wine-growing area and in particular to determine the
effects of farming practices and landscape management by viticulturists on vineyard
biodiversity.
A multi-scale approach is being used to collect data relating to:
- areas used for production or semi-natural areas managed by viticulturists
- the value of these areas for plants and birds
- the perception and management of these areas by viticulturists
- landscape structure and the evolution of land cover over time
- viticulture practices and general farm organisation
These observations will enable us to assess how viticulturists can contribute to maintaining
biodiversity in an area consisting of vineyards interspersed by crops, woodland and urban
outskirts and to identify strategies for biodiversity management at the wine appellation or
small regional scale.
Job description
Within this pluridisciplinary project, the post-doc will carry out ecological work (and in
particular ornithological fieldwork) in collaboration with the ecologist lecturer-researchers (an
ornithologist and a botanist). Following on from fieldwork carried out in spring/summer 2008
(bird transects, vegetation surveys), he/she will be responsible for designing future sampling
to study the relationships between farming practices, landscape structure and biodiversity at
a variety of spatial scales within the study area. Over two seasons (2009/2010) he/she will
carry out fieldwork (including bird territory maps) and will assist with supervising student
assistants involved in the ecological aspects of the project. The post-doc will take an active
part in the analysis, presentation and publication of the results.
Location
The job is based in Angers, in the Loire Valley, at the « Groupe Ecole Supérieure
d´Agriculture (ESA) » higher college of agriculture. Regular travel to and from the study area
near Saumur will be necessary.
The selected candidate will possess:
A doctorate in ecology;
Good ornithological knowledge and plant identification skills and a taste for fieldwork;
Some previous experience of landscape and community ecology;
A clean driver´s licence.
A training in the use of GIS tools (ESRI) would be appreciated.
For non-native speakers of French, a reasonable command of the French language is
required.
Terms of employment
The job is for a fixed period of two years (October 2008 - September 2010). The annual
gross salary is EUR 25000.
Applications
Applicants should send a CV (including a list of publications), an accompanying letter and the
names of two referees to Josephine Pithon (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) before 15 June 2008.
Interviews will take place in June or early July 2008.
To find out more...
You can consult the Groupe ESA and INH websites (www.groupe-esa.com / www.inh.fr) or
the Saumur-Champigny producers´ site (section on "biodiversité") www.producteurs-de-
saumur-champigny.fr/
For more details please feel free to contact the scientific manager of the project Guillaume
Pain This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Joséphine Pithon (ornithologist) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or
Hervé Daniel (botanist) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
General information
The "Groupe Ecole Supérieure d´Agriculture (ESA)" is recruiting a post doctoral ecologist to
join its « LEVA - Laboratoire d´écophysiologie végétale & agroécologie » research laboratory.
In collaboration with the Institut National d´Horticulture and its « Unité Propre Paysage », the
post-doc will participate in a research project entitled : « Biodiversity and its interactions with
viticulture in a wine-growing area in the west of France : case study of a local initiative in a
controlled origin appellation (AOC Saumur-Champigny) ». The French Ministry for the
Environment (MEDAD) is financing this project as part of a national programme, « DIVA 2 »,
on political action, agriculture and biodiversity.
The general objective is to study the contribution of viticulture to the maintenance of
biodiversity in the Saumur-Champigny wine-growing area and in particular to determine the
effects of farming practices and landscape management by viticulturists on vineyard
biodiversity.
A multi-scale approach is being used to collect data relating to:
- areas used for production or semi-natural areas managed by viticulturists
- the value of these areas for plants and birds
- the perception and management of these areas by viticulturists
- landscape structure and the evolution of land cover over time
- viticulture practices and general farm organisation
These observations will enable us to assess how viticulturists can contribute to maintaining
biodiversity in an area consisting of vineyards interspersed by crops, woodland and urban
outskirts and to identify strategies for biodiversity management at the wine appellation or
small regional scale.
Job description
Within this pluridisciplinary project, the post-doc will carry out ecological work (and in
particular ornithological fieldwork) in collaboration with the ecologist lecturer-researchers (an
ornithologist and a botanist). Following on from fieldwork carried out in spring/summer 2008
(bird transects, vegetation surveys), he/she will be responsible for designing future sampling
to study the relationships between farming practices, landscape structure and biodiversity at
a variety of spatial scales within the study area. Over two seasons (2009/2010) he/she will
carry out fieldwork (including bird territory maps) and will assist with supervising student
assistants involved in the ecological aspects of the project. The post-doc will take an active
part in the analysis, presentation and publication of the results.
Location
The job is based in Angers, in the Loire Valley, at the « Groupe Ecole Supérieure
d´Agriculture (ESA) » higher college of agriculture. Regular travel to and from the study area
near Saumur will be necessary.
The selected candidate will possess:
A doctorate in ecology;
Good ornithological knowledge and plant identification skills and a taste for fieldwork;
Some previous experience of landscape and community ecology;
A clean driver´s licence.
A training in the use of GIS tools (ESRI) would be appreciated.
For non-native speakers of French, a reasonable command of the French language is
required.
Terms of employment
The job is for a fixed period of two years (October 2008 - September 2010). The annual
gross salary is EUR 25000.
Applications
Applicants should send a CV (including a list of publications), an accompanying letter and the
names of two referees to Josephine Pithon (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) before 15 June 2008.
Interviews will take place in June or early July 2008.
To find out more...
You can consult the Groupe ESA and INH websites (www.groupe-esa.com / www.inh.fr) or
the Saumur-Champigny producers´ site (section on "biodiversité") www.producteurs-de-
saumur-champigny.fr/
For more details please feel free to contact the scientific manager of the project Guillaume
Pain This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Joséphine Pithon (ornithologist) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or
Hervé Daniel (botanist) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.