At the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences (BioEnv) we have teaching and research activities that stretch from the alpine ecosystem, through forests, cultivated land and streams, all the way into the marine environment. In these environments we study different levels of biological organisation from genes, individuals and populations, to communities and ecosystems. We work within ecology, evolution, physiology, systematics and combinations of these fields in order to understand the impact of natural and anthropogenic changes of the environment.

The department is placed at three different localities: in Gothenburg Botanical garden, at Medicinareberget in Gothenburg, and at the marine research station that is run by the Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Infrastructure-Kristineberg.

The current positions are placed at Medicinareberget. In addition to scientist at BioEnv, a scientist and co-worker in the project is located in the philosophy department at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.

Assiociate Researcher (two) in global and national overpopulation, and solutions

Project description

We seek two Associate Researcher for a two-year period to support us in studies of global and national overpopulation. The project is financed by the Global Challenges Foundation (Stockholm) and based on collaboration between researchers in Sweden and the US, including experienced mentors. Population growth and overpopulation contribute to a host of environmental and social problems, such as excessive consumption, increasing greenhouse emissions, increasing freshwater withdrawals from rivers, increasing food consumption with destruction of forests and other natural habitats for agricultural expansion, decline and extinction of species, air and water pollution, unwanted pregnancies, poverty, crowded urban areas, forced migration, and ethnic conflict. In recent decades, the scientific and environmental communities have neglected population matters despite their importance and despite an expected 50% growth in the human population to 2100.

The aims of the research are to identify conditions and factors that determine demographic and environmental trends, and to identify and advocate policies to end global and national population growth, in order to further ecological sustainability. Our work includes e.g. comparative studies in international family planning, national policies on immigration, environmental degradation due to overpopulation, and the ethics of immigration and population policies.

Closing date 2017-09-28

http://www.gu.se/english/about_the_university/job-opportunities/vacancies-details/?id=1044