PhD Position: CONNECT: COupled Networks aNd Ecosystem sTability

About the position

UniBE is interconnected.

With us, you’re part of an international community and benefit from interdisciplinary collaboration.

Responsibilities

Candidates should be highly motivated, quantitatively strong, and keen to work both independently and collaboratively. We welcome applications from diverse scientific backgrounds (e.g., ecology, physics, applied mathematics, computer science). Programming experience (C++, Python, and/or R) and enthusiasm for simulation-based theoretical research are strongly preferred. In their motivation letter, applicants from outside ecology should explain why they are drawn to this project, and applicants from ecology should describe their interest in theoretical and simulation-based work. Candidates must have good written and spoken English, which is the working language in the division. A Master’s degree is required, and the position is open to applicants worldwide. We are committed to increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in ecology and evolution, and we especially encourage applications from members of underrepresented groups.

Requirements

The Network Ecology Division is a newly established, international research group at the Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern. The project is carried out in collaboration with Dr. Isabelle Gounand (Sorbonne University, Paris), offering further opportunities for exchange beyond Bern. As part of a growing group, the PhD student will have the opportunity to help shape the direction and culture of a new division from an early stage. The University of Bern and the institute are situated near the heart of the beautiful old city, and the quality of life in Bern is very high, with the Swiss Alps in close vicinity. For confident swimmers, floating in the Aare river is one of the most exciting things to do in summer.
The position runs for up to 4 years, with a salary according to the standard SNSF PhD salary scale.

Benefits

• Collaborative environment and ambitious team
• International reputation
• Individual career support
• Strong research infrastructure and international network

Application

Please submit your application by end of December 2026 as a single merged PDF file, including:

• A letter of motivation outlining your motivation and relevant experience
• CV
• Contact details of two references
• Filled survey: https://forms.gle/7ux76rogqL8LfHzL7

Job Description

Towards a General Theory of Stability and Persistence in Spatially Coupled Food Webs

A fully funded PhD position, supervised by Prof. Remo Ryser, is available in the newly established Network Ecology Division at the Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Switzerland, in collaboration with Dr. Isabelle Gounand (Sorbonne University, Paris). The position is part of the meta-network project of the group, in which we develop a general theory of how spatial networks interact with networks of species interactions to shape ecological patterns and functioning. See our homepage for examples.
CONNECT builds on an established, empirically grounded bioenergetic meta-food-web model based on the Allometric Trophic Network (ATN) framework and uses systematic simulation experiments to identify general relationships between spatial network structure, dispersal, and ecological stability. The project is theoretical and simulation-based in nature, addressing following topics:

• Spatial network theory: How does the structure of spatial networks, such as patch connectivity, degree distribution, and spatial embedding, interact with dispersal to shape the persistence and stability of complex food webs? Moving beyond single-aspect manipulations of landscape structure, this part of the project develops a systematic, network-theoretic account of space in meta-food-webs, incorporating biologically realistic, trait-based dispersal.
• Beyond emergent patterns – fine-scale and transient dynamics: What mechanisms and short-term dynamics underlie emergent patterns such as diversity and persistence?
• Towards a theory of spatial restoration: Can the resulting framework identify keystone patches and dispersal links, and guide the conservation and restoration of spatially structured ecosystems, for example by testing theoretical predictions against more realistic landscape structures?
  Some of these questions should be addressed, but there is also room to develop own research questions in addition to these general directions.