Postdoctoral Associate

MSU Jobs • Starkville, MS

11d

About The Position

This position is through the Mississippi State University Quantitative Ecology & Spatial Technologies (QuEST) Laboratory and the Geosystems Research Institute (GRI). The successful candidate will be primarily advised by Dr. Melanie Boudreau (Mississippi State University). The Postdoctoral Associate will work closely with co-investigators and research scientists from the USDA – ARS Geospatial and Environmental Epidemiology Unit. In particular, the researcher will be tasked with combining various data sources to create an agent-based model of CWD risk. Given the large amount of data, the candidate must also have the capability to conduct work in common programming environments (R, Python) within a high-performance computing environment when needed. The candidate will also be required to publish peer-reviewed publications from this work . In addition to project duties the candidate will be expected to take a leadership role in the QuEST lab. Salary Grade : UC Please see Staff Compensation Structure or Skilled Crafts and Service Maintenance Compensation Schedule for salary ranges. For salary grade UC, these positions are "Unclassified" and salary ranges are determined by the hiring department. Department Profile: Mississippi State University is one of the leading research institutions in the Southeast (Carnegie R1 Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity) and ranked as a top-tier land grant university by the National Science Foundation. The Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture (WFA) has a strong applied focus in wildlife conservation and management. The faculty within the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture leads one of the most productive research programs in the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine. The department is well-known for its highly collegial and interdisciplinary faculty, post-doctoral fellows, research and extension associates that help make the department one of the premier institutions for applied wildlife and fisheries science in the nation. As one of the fastest growing undergraduate programs in the region, our 300 undergraduate students concentrate in wildlife agriculture science, human-wildlife interactions, conservation biology, wildlife veterinary medicine, conservation law enforcement, and wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture science. The department also houses 60 graduate students across a variety of programs. It is home to the Mississippi USGS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, a US Fish and Wildlife Service Unit, USDA Wildlife Services State Director’s office, and some state agency offices. For additional information see www.cfr.msstate.edu/wildlife Area of Specialization: Chronic Wasting Disease Risk

Requirements

• Ph.D. in quantitative ecology, biology, statistics, applied mathematics, or other related fields
• Demonstrated experience in quantitative ecology (particularly landscape and movement ecology) and computer programming
• Excellent written and oral communication skills

Nice To Haves

• General background in spatial ecology, animal movement, and agent based models
• Demonstrated history of publication and collaboration
• Extensive knowledge in R or Python

Responsibilities

• Working with stakeholders to complete the identified project objectives
• Participate in oral and written communications as needed to interface with participating scientists and stakeholders
• Disseminate knowledge in primary literature and at conferences and meetings
• Participate in QuEST Lab meetings and mentorship activities

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees