Two fully funded PhD positions in statistical ecology (Belgium)

Jobs
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Hi all,

Our statistical ecology group at KU Leuven and UHasselt (Eclosion Lab) is hiring two PhD students to develop Bayesian hierarchical models in Stan for biodiversity research. We model opportunistically collected data, obtained through portals like Observation.org and iNaturalist, while accounting for the challenging data-generating process. We do so to tackle fundamental ecological questions and to contribute to conservation and policy. Some samples of our work can be found here and here.

Both are fully funded for four years, ideally starting early 2027 (flexible). Feel free to apply for both positions.

Prior Stan experience is a real plus!

Cheers,
Thomas Neyens & Maxime Fajgenblat

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Thanks for posting, @max.

Statistical ecology is a really fun (and also important!) application area for Bayesian stats. I learned a bit about it visiting groups in Melbourne, then working with Fränzi Korner-Nievergelt at the Swiss Ornithological Institute—that’s where the User’s Guide (e.g., Cormack-Jolly-Seber mark/recapture) and case studies examples (e.g., occupancy) came from.

The field also feels very welcoming, though I don’t know if @max is looking for people with statistical ecology experience, too. I loved the one ISEC conference I went to—it felt very constructive and cooperative and both the models and applications were really engaging (and it’s in the Yucatán in 2027, which has some of my favorite food on the planet).