Two Doctoral Positions in Tropical Forest Ecology, Animal-Plant Interactions and Forest Restoration

The Species Interactions and Ecosystem Health group is recruiting candidates for two complementary Doctoral projects:

Doctoral position 1 – Animals, seed dispersal and seedling establishment

The project will investigate how animals influence forest regeneration through seed dispersal, nutrient cycling and the dispersal of soil microorganisms, particularly mycorrhizal fungi. The candidate will combine field experiments, molecular approaches and ecological analyses. Fieldwork will primarily take place in Panama, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI).

Doctoral position 2 – Herbivory, animal communities and seedling survival

The project will investigate how herbivores and predators influence seedling survival, plant community composition and carbon recovery in regenerating tropical forests. The candidate will work with exclusion experiments, animal monitoring, vegetation surveys and ecological modelling. Fieldwork will primarily take place in Brazil.

Both candidates will work closely with the PI, other group members and an international network of collaborators. They will contribute to data collection, analysis, scientific publications and dissemination of project results.

The Species Interactions and Ecosystem Health group at ETH Zürich is seeking two doctoral candidates for the SNSF Starting Grant project AniCaRes – Animating Carbon Restoration: The Role of Animals in Carbon Sequestration During Forest Restoration. AniCaRes investigates how animal communities shape tropical forest regeneration and carbon recovery across spatial scales. The project combines tropical field experiments, molecular ecology, DNA metabarcoding/eDNA, animal monitoring, remote sensing and ecological modelling, with fieldwork primarily in Panama and Brazil.

The successful candidates will join an interdisciplinary and international research environment at ETH Zürich, with opportunities to develop expertise across field ecology, molecular ecology, quantitative analysis and emerging biodiversity-monitoring technologies. The projects include close collaboration with research institutions and local partners in Latin America and substantial opportunities for international fieldwork.

ETH Zurich is one of the world’s leading universities specialising in science and technology. It is renowned for excellent education, cutting-edge fundamental research and direct transfer of new knowledge into society. Over 30,000 people from more than 120 countries work and study at the university. ETH Zurich promotes independent thinking and works to develop solutions for global challenges.

• Highly motivated, with a strong interest in tropical ecology, animal-plant interactions, biodiversity, forest restoration and ecosystem functioning.

• A Master's degree in ecology, biology, environmental sciences or a related discipline.

• Strong interest in quantitative ecological research and tropical ecosystems.

• Experience with data analysis, preferably in R and/or Python.

• Ability and willingness to conduct extended fieldwork in tropical environments.

• Excellent written and spoken English.

• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in an international research team.

• Previous experience with molecular laboratory work, DNA-based ecological methods and/or fieldwork in tropical ecosystems will be considered a strong asset.

• Experience with GIS, remote sensing, animal monitoring, experimental ecology or ecological modelling is advantageous, but candidates are not expected to have expertise in all these areas.