PhD Position: Coupled Networks and Ecosystem Stability

About the role

The Network Ecology Division, a newly established international research group at the Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, is looking for a PhD student for its CONNECT project on coupled networks and ecosystem stability. The project is carried out in collaboration with Dr. Isabelle Gounand (Sorbonne University, Paris), offering exchange opportunities beyond Bern. The position runs for up to 4 years, with a salary according to the standard SNSF PhD salary scale.

Required profile

• Master's degree; the position is open to applicants worldwide.
• Highly motivated, quantitatively strong, able to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Diverse scientific backgrounds are welcome, such as ecology, physics, applied mathematics or computer science.
• Good written and spoken English, the working language of the division.
• Applicants from outside ecology should explain in their motivation letter why they are drawn to the project; applicants from ecology should describe their interest in theoretical and simulation-based work.

Required skills

• Programming experience in C++, Python and/or R is strongly preferred.
• Enthusiasm for simulation-based theoretical research is strongly preferred.

What we offer

• A newly established, international research group where the PhD student can help shape the direction and culture of the division from an early stage.
• Collaboration with a partner in Paris and a high quality of life in Bern, near the Swiss Alps.

Applications are submitted as a single merged PDF by end of December 2026, including a letter of motivation, CV, contact details of two references and a completed online survey.