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Rebecca Runting

@rkrunting.bsky.social

Senior Lecturer in Spatial Science at The University of Melbourne. I focus on strategies to manage ecosystem services under uncertain global change scenarios. #GIS #ClimateChange #Geography

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Rebecca Runting @rkrunting.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

We're recruiting for two funded PhDs exploring restoration in agricultural landscapes! Project 1: Barriers & opportunities for restoration in coffee landscapes (see below for details) Project 2: Spatial optimisation of restoration for ecosystem services findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/opportunity/...

Funded PhD Project:
Barriers and opportunities for restoration in coffee production landscapes
The University of Melbourne
Restoration can benefit biodiversity while enhancing crop productivity through ecosystem services such as pollination and pest control. However, these benefits take time to materialise, while establishment costs and lost production are immediate. Therefore, the aim of this interdisciplinary PhD project is to explore the barriers, opportunities, and benefits from different types of restoration within coffee production landscapes. The successful applicant will conduct ecological field work and interviews in coffee farms in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest region and Australia’s north-east coast. This PhD will be integrated with an Australian Research Council “Linkage” project on optimising restoration to balance production and conservation objectives.
Selection Criteria (essential):
A master’s degree (including a research component) or a first-class honours degree (with thesis) in ecology, geography, or related disciplines.
Fluency in Portuguese and English.
Experience in social or ecological field work.
Selection Criteria (desirable):
Experience in GIS and statistics.
Evidence of publishing in international journals.

The successful applicant will be awarded an annual stipend of AUD$38,500 and relocation costs. The preferred start date is early 2027 (negotiable). They will be enrolled at The University of Melbourne and will be supervised by Dr. Rebecca Runting, Prof. Jean-Paul Metzger, Prof. Margie Mayfield, and Dr. Sofia Lopez-Cubillos. The successful applicant will also spend substantial time as a visiting student at Universidade de São Paulo, in Prof. Jean-Paul Metzger’s research group. To express interest please send a cover letter, CV and academic transcript to rebecca.runting@unimelb.edu.au by 30 June 2026, or contact for more information.

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Rebecca Runting @rkrunting.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

We're recruiting for two funded PhDs exploring restoration in agricultural landscapes! Project 1: Barriers & opportunities for restoration in coffee landscapes (see below for details) Project 2: Spatial optimisation of restoration for ecosystem services findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/opportunity/...

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