Position

Open position as scientists: Impact of water use on ecosystem services - Comparing national water use with virtual water trade

2 PhD positions to conduct research on water use impacts on ecosystem services are available at the Professorship of Ecological Services (PES), University of Bayreuth.

Your tasks: We are looking for two candidates who jointly develop spatial models of water use impacts on ecosystem services. PhD student A will focus on the national impact of water use in Israel. PhD student B will study the water footprint of the Israeli food imports (and exports) and the ecological consequences in the trading partner countries. Specifically, a globally parameterized SWAT model will help to assess the virtual water flows to and from Israel and their impact on global ecosystem services.
This research will feed into the project MedWater (financed by BMBF / Grow program). As a contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, MedWater develops management tools in order to improve the efficiency of water usage considering the optimal usage of available resources and ecosystem services. The main goal is the optimal management of groundwater resources in fractured rock groundwater systems under Mediterranean climatic conditions.

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