Peaty postdoc in Peru, anyone?

Brand-new Postdoctoral opportunities in Amazon peatlands research

Project title: Assessing and modeling the inputs, stability and fate of soil C in Amazon peatlands and flooded forest under changing climate

Location: based in Iquitos Peru at the collaboration of Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana (Peru) and Arizona State University (USA)

Potential start and end: January 2020-December 2021 (2 years)

Motivation and opportunity: The Amazon basin is one of the major C reserves in the world and is under multiple threats derived from anthropogenic activities. These threats are affecting one key function as C sink for the world. Amazon peatlands, carbon sequestering wetlands where the rate of accumulation exceed the rate of
decomposition, have been documenting as holding high amounts of C in the Amazon, and the Pastaza-Maranon fore basin in Peru has been so far documented as holding the most in terms of area and depth (up to 10 meters). The mechanisms of accumulation and stability of soil Carbon in the Amazon is an open and intriguing area of research since the warm conditions and fast decomposition rates in the tropics, predicted soil C accumulation to be low or limited. Yet peatlands I the Amazon have reached many
m of organic soil accumulations. We seek two postdoctoral candidates to join an application and fulfill the following roles: mechanistically evaluate the rates of C inputs and stability from different biomass components among sites with contrasting NPP, geochemistry and respiration rates leading to CH4 emissions (position 1) and develop modeling approaches to estimate rates of accumulations across a broad area (spatial modeling) and model the response of such rates under water manipulation scenarios simulating climate driven increase or decrease of rain/flood (position 2).

The team include Prof Hinsby Cadillo-Quiroz (ASU), Dr Outi Lahteenoja (ASU), Rodil Tello (UNAP), David Urquiza (UNAP) among others. Salaries are highly competitive and will be given by CONCYTEC (PERU) and World Bank program. Relocation expenses are available. Candidates must have completed their PhD no earlier than 6 years ago, and have a record of publications in desired field. Please reach Dr Cadillo hinsby@asu.edu along with a CV by Sept 18 or ASAP.