The Tour du Valat is a private research foundation working for the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands. Founded in 1954 by Dr. Luc Hoffmann and based in the Camargue, it is at the cutting edge of multidisciplinary fields of research, building bridges between science, management and public policies. The Tour du Valat is internationally recognized for its scientific excellence and provides practical responses to problems regarding the conservation and sustainable management of natural resources. The Tour du Valat’s projects are carried out in the Camargue and around the Mediterranean Basin.
The Tour du Valat employs 80 people, including 10 researchers and about 8 Ph.D. and other students.
Tour du Valat is opening a call for candidates to apply for a 3-year grant
for a PhD on Mediterranean wetland conservation
The Tour du Valat is opening a call for candidates to apply for a 3-year grant for a PhD in a French university. Conditions for the scholarship include that the student will be based for half-time at the Tour du Valat in France and half-time at an institute or university in a non-European Mediterranean country. While in France, the salary will be 1200€/month (plus free lodging), the salary in the other country will vary according to country. The funding of the PhD will be managed by Campus France https://www.campusfrance.org/fr.
Candidates must be from a Mediterranean country outside of the EU and write a research project that contributes to Mediterranean wetland conservation. Research themes are open but could include the following research axes:
Restoration of coastal lagoons facing climate change
The Mediterranean region has about 18.5 million hectares of wetlands (± 3.5 million), around 1.5% of the world’s wetlands. It hosts around 400 coastal lagoons, covering a surface of over 641 000 ha. If properly managed, coastal lagoons can, through their regulation services, be more cost-effective solutions to environmental threats than physical infrastructures, and can be used as coastal risk management tools in the context of climate change to mitigate its effects. The protection of these coastal ecosystems can bring innovative solutions to the stakeholders in the territories. Physical changes in the Mediterranean climate have been widely observed and such trends are projected to continue in the future (Plan Bleu, 2016). We welcome PhD proposals that study and/or put in place restoration projects for Mediterranean coastal lagoons that take into account scenarios and potential impacts of climate change.
Trend analysis of pressures and conservation state of Mediterranean wetlands (Mediterranean wetland Observatory)
The conservation of Mediterranean wetlands is intertwined with the growing Mediterranean population, their well-being and the impacts of global pressures of many different kinds. The Mediterranean Wetlands Observatory is in the process of setting up a database which contains spatial data layers on multiple pressures, as well as biodiversity data and protection status of Mediterranean wetlands. This database is currently being used to update the Mediterranean Wetland Outlook (to be published in 2018). We welcome a thesis proposal that aims to relate and predict the impact of multiple pressures on wetlands, their biodiversity and ecosystem services, in the Mediterranean basin, by complementing and using our database in relevant analyses.
Demography of animal species in Mediterranean wetlands
Demographic studies based on individually marked animals improve our understanding of the dynamics of the population of Mediterranean wetlands animal species. We welcome a thesis proposal that aims to understand a) how pollutions (of industrial, agricultural or urban origin) impact the demography of vertebrate species in wetlands OR the relationships between biodiversity and pathogen dynamics in Mediterranean wetlands.
The best candidate will be selected based on scientific merit and the quality of the research proposal.
How to apply:
Send the application file to Florence Daubigney (e-mail) (ref: TdV-2018-PhD_Med) by September 7th, 2018.
- A curriculum vitae of the candidate
- A description of the project with the following structure: title of the project, key words (5), summary (max ½ page), introduction (context and literature review – 2 pages max and objectives – 1 page max), study area (1/2 page max), methods (2 pages max)
- A recommendation letter from a local professor
- A qualified supervisor in France (to be able to be registered with an Ecole Doctorale) would be a plus but we can help identifying such supervisor.
The proposal can be written in English or in French.
The best proposals will be invited for an interview on September 13th and/or 14th; the final decision will be made before September 25th.
For any questions concerning the application procedure, please contact Florence Daubigney (e-mail).