Dear all,
Please see the advertisement below for a postdoc position at Queen Mary, 
University of London, UK. Further details are at:
http://webapps.qmul.ac.uk/hr/vacancies/jobs.php?id=1165
I am happy to answer any informal enquiries about the post. Please DO 
NOT hit the reply button on this message, but instead email me at 
[log in to unmask]

Best wishes,
Lisa

**************************
Department of Geography
Postdoctoral Research Associate: Organic matter turnover in peatlands
Salary: £33,492 per annum
Appointment period: 13 months (available from 12 May 2009)
Ref: 09099/SW

This full-time, fixed-term post is funded through a Natural Environment 
Research Council grant awarded to Dr Lisa Belyea (QMUL), with project 
partners at the Universities of Edinburgh, Newcastle and Uppsala. The 
overall aim of the project is to gain a fundamental understanding of the 
interaction between vegetation, litter geochemistry and the 
environmental factors that control organic matter decay in peatlands. 
The post-holder will carry out a programme of work that includes field 
and laboratory investigations of organic matter turnover, including the 
temperature-sensitivity of decay.

The post holder will be based at QMUL in London, with fieldwork in 
central Sweden. Field measurements (vegetation surveys, environmental 
variables, litter decay) and incubation experiments will be made along a 
gradient from swamp forest to bog plateau. Samples spanning the full 
range of plant type sources and degradation states will be sent to 
project partners in Edinburgh and Newcastle for detailed geochemical 
analysis. Laboratory incubations will examine the time- and 
temperature-dependence of litter/peat decay (respiration of CO2, 
measured by GC/FID), especially in relation to geochemical composition. 
The combined results will be used to test existing models of litter/peat 
accumulation and decay, and will address fundamental questions on the 
sensitivity of the peatland carbon store to climate warming.

Applicants will have a PhD (or equivalent experience) and should ideally 
have a background in plant ecology or biogeochemistry, with an interest 
in peatland ecology and carbon cycling. Candidates with field experience 
on peatland systems and/or skills in the relevant field and laboratory 
techniques are especially encouraged to apply. The post is available 
from 12 May 2009 for a period of 13 months.

Informal enquiries may be made to Dr Lisa Belyea, e-mail address: 
[log in to unmask]

Further details can be obtained from the Department’s website: 
http://www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/about/vacancies/index.html. Candidates should 
complete an official Queen Mary, University of London application form 
(blue), available to download from the Human Resources website: 
http://www.hr.qmul.ac.uk/vacancies/.

Applications, quoting reference no. 09099/SW, should be returned to Ms 
Eszter Gillay, Department of Geography, Queen Mary, University of 
London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, or by e-mail: [log in to unmask] 
In addition to the application form, please include a copy of your CV 
and a cover letter outlining why you would like the job and how you meet 
the person specification.

The closing date for applications is 16 April 2009.  Interviews will be 
held on 28 April 2009.
-- 
**********************************
Dr Lisa Belyea
Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography

Queen Mary, University of London
Department of Geography
Mile End Road
London E1 4NS, UK
Tel: +44(0)207 882 2781
Email: [log in to unmask]
***********************************