Two Postdoctoral Positions – University of Arizona

segnalato da Federico Magnani

The School of Natural Resources and the Environment is seeking resourceful, creative scientists, who are committed to tackling some of the big challenges in the carbon cycle and paleoecology.
There are two Assistant Research Scientist positions in ecosystem model-data synthesis are available in Dr. Moore’s laboratory at the University of Arizona. The preferred start date for these positions will be January 2014.

The first position is focused on long term controls of vegetation and the paleoecological reconstruction of the carbon cycle in the Northeast USA and Alaska.
The second position will focus on ecophysiological processes controlling carbon uptake and storage in forest ecosystems from daily, seasonal to inter-annual timescales. The positions are funded for one year with the possibility of additional funding for a total of 4 years.

Both candidates will work with collaborative and interdisciplinary teams of researchers from several universities. Both candidates will have the opportunity to contribute scientifically to these projects.

Duties and Responsibilities

Candidates will be expected to work collaboratively within an interdisciplinary research group of ecologists, statisticians, and modelers with the aim of assimilating diverse types data for northern temperate forests into a suite of regional-scale ecosystem models.

*The primary responsibility is to work with the Community Land Model and in a data assimilation framework and statistically forcing the model using data from different temporal and spatial scales. Research questions will depend on the project and the interests of the candidate.
*These include mathematical approaches for combining varied datasets with land surface models, state and parameter estimation using data assimilation.

For project 1) testing ecosystem models at centennial time-scales, making inference about pre-settlement ecosystem dynamics and biogeochemical cycles, and exploring the sensitivity of models to historical vegetation.

For project 2) making inferences about the controls of uptake, release and allocation of carbon seasonally and inter-annually, investigating processes controlling phenological transitions in vegetation.

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; state and optional retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

Minimum Qualifications

* Ph.D in a relevant ecological, environmental or engineering science.
* Experience with more than one of the following areas: Community Land Model, dynamic vegetation or ecosystem models, computer programming, and data assimilation; analysis of data from dendrochronology, forest ecology, paleoecology, or community ecology.

Go to the application page