Postdoctoral Associate

Marshall University • Huntington, WV

13d

About The Position

We seek a postdoctoral associate focused on evaluating the impacts of multiple global change drivers on dryland plant communities. The successful candidate will broadly explore the interacting effects of climate change, wildfire, and livestock grazing intensity on big sagebrush plant communities throughout their spatial extent in the western US via ecological modeling. These water-limited ecosystems are undergoing rapid environmental change due to multiple stressors (climate change, increases in wildfire activity, species invasions) and represent some of the most threatened systems in North America. This project is supported by a five-year NSF CAREER grant and will leverage an individual-based plant simulation model (STEPWAT2) to quantify the impacts of multiple global change drivers on big sagebrush plant communities under future conditions. Potential focal projects include but are not limited to: investigating the role of competition in altering plant functional type responses to global change drivers and the implications for shrub-grass coexistence, identifying the likelihood of ecosystem state transitions under a future climate, and investigating how livestock grazing can be used as a tool to maintain native plant cover and prevent invasion by non-native species. This project will provide collaborative and networking opportunities with ecologists at Yale University, and with scientists and managers from multiple federal agencies ( BLM , USGS , USFWS , USFS , USDA ARS ).

Requirements

• Ph.D. in a relevant field (e.g., ecology, environmental science, computational biology).
• Experience with ecological modeling.
• Familiarity with plant community dynamics.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with the STEPWAT2 model.
• Knowledge of dryland ecosystems and big sagebrush communities.
• Experience working with federal agencies.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate the impacts of multiple global change drivers on dryland plant communities.
• Explore the interacting effects of climate change, wildfire, and livestock grazing intensity on big sagebrush plant communities via ecological modeling.
• Leverage an individual-based plant simulation model (STEPWAT2) to quantify the impacts of multiple global change drivers on big sagebrush plant communities under future conditions.
• Investigate the role of competition in altering plant functional type responses to global change drivers and the implications for shrub-grass coexistence.
• Identify the likelihood of ecosystem state transitions under a future climate.
• Investigate how livestock grazing can be used as a tool to maintain native plant cover and prevent invasion by non-native species.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree