PhD Research Fellowship at the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research 2019, Germny

The Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research  in Bremen is a member of the Leibniz Association, which is supported by the German Federal and State Governments. Through its research, ZMT contributes to developing science-based strategies for sustainable use of tropical coastal systems.

The working group Institutional and Behavioural Economics at ZMT is currently looking for a PhD Student Researcher

(Reference number: 122 - MIMAC)

to conduct research within the GIZ-funded project MIMAC/ZMT (Identification and demarcation of protected areas and integrated management of marine coastal zones, strongly affected by climate change).

Description of the project:

The research conducted will contribute to the overall aim of the MIMAC project and will be done in close collaboration with the project office in Sta Marta, Colombia. The concrete tasks of the PhD student will be to assess the various ecosystem services, using mainly secondary data, along the project area of the Caribbean coast of Colombia and in particular of the region La Guajira. A particular emphasis will be put on services related to tourism and fishing. Payments for ecosystem services require financial tools, often stemming from different governance levels and sectors of the society. The analysis aims to find the relevant payment mechanisms and instruments to then analyse the contractual needs on the side of those people who are going to help delivering those ecosystem services. Due to the particular property rights structure (common land) and the characteristics of the considered resources (common pool resources) such contracts require cooperation and collective organisation. Therefore, an analysis of cooperation behaviour will be done. The research will be conducted in close collaboration with a parallel research on the state and development potential of the fishery, as fish provides the crucial ecosystem service for local livelihoods. The research is closely integrated into the applied work of GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit), which is done in a motivated and cooperative team. A more detailed project description is available in German on demand.

Requirements:

• Background in social sciences (economics, politics, sociology, geography) with a focus on natural resource use
• Knowledge in the field of ecosystem services and institutions governing the use of the environment is an important additional asset
• Readiness and willingness to work either in Colombia (Santa Marta) or Germany (Bremen) according to project requirements
• Willingness to collaborate closely with the GIZ project team
• Readiness to work with deadlines for contributing to the overall MIMAC project
• Interest in running a scientific study having a strong applied component for the project region and beyond
• Good communication skills and interest in interaction with stakeholders of all types (e.g. indigenous community, companies, ministries)
• Fluent Spanish and very good English language skills are a must
• Qualitative, optionally quantitative, research methodological expertise
• Willingness to work in an interdisciplinary team comprising natural and social scientists

For additional information, please contact: Prof. Dr. Achim Schlüter, achim.schlueter(at)leibniz-zmt.de

We offer:

• An exciting working environment in an interdisciplinary and internationally oriented institute and research project
• Possibilities to build and extend an international professional network and participate in a research field of high public and scientific interest
• A close collaboration with GIZ, one of the international leaders in development cooperation
• A family-friendly working environment

The candidate will be on a 36 months contract. Salary will be paid according to the German TV-L EG 13. The post will be filled as a PhD Student position (66,6%).

For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.