ATREE seeks highly motivated applicants to work in a multidisciplinary project that focuses on the restoration of a peri-urban lake in Bengaluru. Efforts to restore urban and peri-urban lakes are on the rise globally, yet many fail to achieve a healthy ecological status. This lake restoration project aims to investigate why these efforts often fall short, proposing that the missing piece is the consideration of spatial scales within watersheds, encompassing social, economic, and natural science factors crucial for biodiversity and ecosystem functionality. We aim to develop a comprehensive framework for assessing restoration success by connecting three key facets of lake ecosystems: water quality and hydrology at relevant scales, multi-group biodiversity, and ecosystem multifunctionality, including the social and economic dimensions of lake health. By applying this framework, we will examine how elements such as climate, vegetation, water quality, hydrology, and stakeholder interests influence the ecological outcomes of the restoration project.4

Appointments and Emoluments: The appointment will be one year, subject to satisfactory progress with two months of probation period. Salaries at ATREE are competitive and at par with other academic institutions in India. The positions will be based in ATREE’s office in Bangalore.

Water and society programme – The programme aims to work towards achieving a water-secure future for society through interdisciplinary knowledge generation and dissemination, policy engagement, capacity building, and partnerships for equitable and sustainable water management and democratic water governance. To advance the knowledge we adopt an approach of integrated water resources management and acknowledge an intricate interplay between natural and human systems within complex waterscapes. Our strategy integrates diverse knowledge streams, particularly hydrology encompassing surface water-groundwater interactions, political ecology, and science, technology, and society to analyse and address water-related issues by leveraging our expertise in geospatial tools and nature-based solutions.

About ATREE: The Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (www.atree.org) is one of South Asia’s leading conservation and environmental research organizations. ATREE seeks to address pressing environmental challenges through interdisciplinary research, teaching and active engagement with civil society and policymakers. For information on ATREE’s Water and Society programme, see https://www.atree.org/programmes/water-and-society/