Research Associate - Cambridge, United Kingdom - University of Cambridge

University of Cambridge

Verified Company

Cambridge, United Kingdom

3 weeks ago

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

beBee Recruiter

Description

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join work on research related to "Scaling up agroforestry as a forest landscape conservation and sustainable livelihood strategy in West Africa through innovative supply chain tools"

Project description:
The Guinean forests of West Africa are a critical ecosystem in global biodiversity conservation efforts.

The region is also a global hotspot for cocoa cultivation, home to more than 7 million hectares of cocoa production that continues to expand into the remaining forest ecosystems.

Deforestation is tied to cocoa yields and food demands in existing cocoa areas.

As yields and soil fertility decline in existing farms, farmers seek out new forests to produce food in the near term and expand their cocoa plots over longer periods.

Without interventions to enhance the sustainability and productivity of cocoa farms, deforestation will continue.

Agroforestry has been identified as a potentially powerful nature-based solution to climate mitigation, adaptation, biodiversity, and rural livelihood challenges. Due to this potential, numerous interventions have recently launched in West Africa to scale up agroforestry adoption. In this project we analyse the causal impacts of these interventions in a unique quasi-experimental setting.

This will involve the collection and analysis of both socio-economic and biophysical data, with several project partners able to support in the design of these activities.

The goal of this research is to provide major advancements in our understanding of the conditions under which forest-focused supply chain policies can lead to improved conservation and livelihoods in the tropics.

The Postdoctoral scholar will build off initial project designs, leading the collection and analysis of data, as well as collaborating with research and cocoa sector partners in Ghana.

Your background:
Applicants should hold a PhD in geography, agricultural economics, agricultural ecology or a related field. Applicants are expected to have strong quantitative skills, experience conducting fieldwork in West Africa, and fluency in English. For a comprehensive list of essential and desirable criteria, please refer to the Further Particulars.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 9 months in the first instance.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.