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Biota-Synthesis calls for applications to select eight postdoctoral projects

by Richard Meckien - published Jan 19, 2022 02:30 PM - - last modified Feb 22, 2022 12:07 PM
Rights: Original version in Portuguese by Mauro Bellesa.

Agricultura sustentável
Center will collaborate in the elaboration of public policies for sustainable agriculture and other areas

The Biota-Synthesis, one of the centers of the São Paulo Research Foundation for problem-oriented projects, is calling for applications from those interested in competing for one of the eight vacancies to conduct postdoctoral research until 10:00 (UTC-3) am on March 14.

Although the postdoctoral positions are open to Brazilian and foreign researchers who have a PhD degree, fluency in Portuguese is desired to facilitate the discussion and dialogue with the different actors involved in the project. Candidates must present a project in the areas of modeling, ecosystem services, restoration, urban ecology, human health, climate change, nature-based solutions, and collaborative policy design. A same applicant can apply for more than one scholarship at the same time.

The desired profile for these postgraduates is of professionals with great ability to work collaboratively in teams, with high capacity for listening and dialogue with researchers and social actors with different backgrounds and professional experiences, in addition to the modeling and analysis capabilities that will be detailed for each profile. Each postdoctoral fellow will have a specific research project and supervisor, but it is expected that this group of fellows will work together, in close collaboration with the coordination team of the Biota-Synthesis.

About the Center

The "Center of Analysis and Synthesis of Nature-based Solutions" will be funded by FAPESP for a 5-year period (2022-2026) and brings together researchers from five universities, seven research institutes of the State of São Paulo and four NGOs, as well as technicians and decision makers from the State Secretariats of Infrastructure and Environment, Public Health, and Agriculture. The Center will be based at the IEA.

The goal of the Center is to support the State of São Paulo in the development of socio-environmental public policies related to agricultural sustainability, ecological restoration, zoonosis control, and disease prevention in urban areas, considering essentially nature-based solutions.

It will work following a "synthesis science" approach, with heterogeneous and collaborative working groups, which will meet periodically in an immersive way for brainstorming discussions. These meetings will be intercalated with the analysis and modeling of existing databases, where the active participation of postdoctoral fellows is expected.

FAPESP postdoctoral fellowships are competitive (R$ 7,373.10 - approximately US$ 1,340.00) and granted for 24 months, with the possibility of extension for two additional years. The fellowships include a research contingency fund, equivalent to 10% of its annual value which should be spent on items directly related to the research activity.

Applications must be submitted through the following form. The necessary documents are the following

• Curriculum Vitae following the FAPESP format, including Lattes (for Brazilian candidates), ORCID, and Publon links, as well as citation indicators (e.g. number of publications and citations, H index); please indicate experience in teamwork and with the development of public policy, if applicable;

• Research statement specifying why the candidate is suitable for the fellowship position;

• Three reference persons who can be consulted if the candidate is selected for an interview.

For each of the 8 fellowships, 3-5 candidates will be selected for an interview (to be conducted virtually). The initial selection will consider the adequacy of the candidate to the fellowship profile, as well as the candidate's professional experience and publication records.

The interviews are expected to take place at the end of March/beginning of April, and the fellowship will begin in May, after validation of the selective process by FAPESP, according to the Foundations's norms (Portuguese only). All postdoctoral fellows will be formally linked to the postdoctoral program (Portuguese only) of the University of São Paulo.

More on each fellowship opportunity:

1 - Estimation and Prediction of Pollination and Associated Ecosystem in Agricultural Landscapes

2 - Modeling Future Scenarios for Pollination and Associated Ecosystem Services in Face of Landscape and Climate Changes

3 - Supporting Decisions for Forest Ladscape Restoration and Forest-Based Economy

4 - Operationalizing Policies for Forest Landscape Restoration and Forest-Based Eonomy

5 - Regulation of Zoonotic Diseases in Urban and Rural Ladscapes

6 - Ecosystem Services Modeling and Human Weell-Being in Urban Landscapes

7 - Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and Urban Interventions for Climate Adaptation in Urban Areas

8 - Collaborative Environmental Policy Design for the State of São Paulo

Should there be any questions, please send a message to biotasintese@usp.br.