A new centre key for the field has just been established
in Prague (Czech Republic): the Forest Invasions Synthesis Centre (FISC)
Opportunites
= Applications for four postdoctoral positions are currently being accepted
= Applications for a working group will be accepted in mid-2025
Contact
Dr. Andrew (“Sandy”) Liebhold ([email protected])
The Czech University of Life Sciences (CZU) in Prague, in collaboration with the Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, is inaugurating a new socio-ecological synthesis centre aimed at advancing the scientific understanding of the ecology and management of biological invasions in forests. The Centre is funded under the ERA Chair program of Horizon Europe, the EU's primary funding program for research and innovation. The synthesis centre hosts collaborative interdisciplinary working groups from outside institutions, along with a team of new postdocs, to explore the many facets of biological invasions by plants, insects, and tree pathogens in forests worldwide.
The centre is located in the new Forest Risk Department at the CZU Faculty of Forestry and Wood Science and is led by the appointed ERA Chair Holder, Dr. Andrew Liebhold, previously a scientist with the US Forest Service. He serves as the Chief Scientist and leads a research team specializing in various aspects of invasion science.
FISC uses the “synthesis centre” model that has been successfully applied in various other socio-ecological synthesis centres around the world. The anticipated scope of the centre’s research ranges from topics such as the macroecology of forest insect invasions, the physiological ecology of plant invasiveness, mutualisms among invading organisms in forests, risks and benefits of non-native trees in forestry, social perceptions of non-native species in forests, economic optimization of forest biosecurity, and the global impacts of invasions on global forest ecosystem processes.
Plans are underway for holding an inaugural scientific symposium at FISC that will gather invasion scientists around the world to discuss major research challenges related to various aspects of forest invasions. The symposium is planned for early May 2025 in Prague.
INVASIONS BULLETIN
Research Centres