Mycorrhizal Carbon Science Lead

SPUN•Dover, DE

31d•$100,000 - $135,000•Remote

About The Position

SPUN is looking for an experienced and ambitious Mycorrhizal Scientist to lead our Climate and Carbon work. This core team position is central to achieving a primary mission for SPUN: to quantify fungal-mediated carbon flows for integration with climate and carbon accounting frameworks. You will provide the strategic direction for all mycorrhizal carbon measurements and ecosystem function mapping. You will provide mission-aligned direction for the team as you develop foundational fungal carbon datasets and geospatial products, balancing high-level guidance with your own direct, hands-on contributions to the research. A key long-term objective is to scale mycorrhizal carbon measurements, aiming to build rigorous and trusted verification methods necessary to incorporate mycorrhizal data into global climate strategies.

Requirements

You have a PhD in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Biogeochemistry, Microbiology, and/or Earth System Science.
You have significant experience designing and leading research programs to answer cutting-edge questions in ecosystem ecology, particularly above/below ground carbon dynamics.
You possess a robust understanding of soil biogeochemistry, particularly the interplay of fungal activities and carbon and nutrient cycles at a variety of scales.
You have demonstrated success in building and interpreting advanced statistical models.
You have excellent data management and coding skills in R and/or python.
You have a proven ability to deliver high-quality scientific writing and possess strong science communication skills.
You are fluent in English.

Nice To Haves

Experience with stable isotope methods, fungal trait and sequencing data, geospatial analysis and remote sensing, meta-analysis techniques, or biogeochemical/earth system modeling.
Experience advising on or integrating scientific data into Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) or carbon accounting frameworks.
Experience with collaborative coding platforms (e.g., Github)

Responsibilities

Lead, manage, and mentor SPUN’s Climate and Carbon research group.
Set the strategic scientific direction for the group, aligning with SPUN's overall mission and identifying future areas of impact
Oversee the development of mycorrhizal carbon datasets, analytics, and spatial products.
Design and execute a strategy for scaling fungal carbon measurements and databases, working with our Climate Breakthrough strategy team.
Drive the scientific work needed to integrate SPUN’s data into Natural Capital models and other quantitative NCS frameworks.
Collaborate with the leads of the Biodiversity Analytics and Conservation & Applications groups to execute cross-team projects, such as analyzing fungal diversity x carbon protection synergies.
Establish and manage partnerships for pilot user-testing of SPUN data products.

Benefits

Comprehensive Health Coverage: 100% of medical, dental, and vision premiums covered for employees, plus dependent coverage support.
Wellness & Lifestyle Support: Annual health stipend, flexible spending account (for US-based employees), monthly work-from-home allowance, and wellness days built into your year.
Generous Time Off: Minimum of 25 vacation days per year (plus local holidays), unlimited paid time off as needed, sick leave, and wellness days to recharge.
Volunteer Days: Paid time each year to contribute your skills and energy to causes you care about.
Professional Growth: Annual professional development allowance to invest in your learning, skills, and career progression.
Workspace & Tools: Hardware allowance to get you set up and annual workspace allowance to create a productive environment wherever you are.
Celebrating You: Annual birthday meal stipend so you can celebrate on us.
Global Consistency, Local Care: Benefits tailored to local laws while ensuring everyone has access to the same high-quality standard of support across our organization.

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