Postdoctoral Research Associate - Department of Biology

West Virginia University•West Virginia, WV

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Department of Biology in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University (WVU) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate. In the lab of Dr. Eddie Brzostek, the incumbent in this position will conduct research that seeks to improve our empirical and predictive understanding of how plant-microbial interactions improve the resiliency, growth, and sustainability of bioenergy crops at the ecosystem level using experiments and process based models. The incumbent will work with a diverse group of researchers in the Sustainability Theme of the Center for Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI), a DOE funded Bioenergy Research Center. This is a full-time, benefits eligible position. The Department of Biology has a strong research focus in ecosystem ecology with a large group of faculty, post-docs, and graduate students. This ecology group has a long track record of collaboration, has built an environment that supports team science, and enables open discussion of research ideas. In addition, the Department of Biology has access to numerous resources including the WVU Herbarium, Core Arboretum, Ecotron, and greenhouse facilities to advance innovative, collaborative research. Beyond the department, there is a plethora of nearby research sites that have hosted scientific efforts including WVU’s experimental farms and the Fernow Experimental Forest. Finally, WVU houses cutting-edge high-performance computing clusters, including Dolly Sods and Thorny Flat, which are available to support data-intensive projects.

Requirements

A Ph.D. in Biology, Environmental Sciences, or a related field is required.
Working knowledge of ecosystem modeling and/or the desire to learn ecosystem modeling.
Ability to perform field and laboratory research in biogeochemistry, plant ecology, and/or microbial ecology.
Coding in R, Python, or Matlab.
Demonstrated excellent written and oral communication skills.
Demonstrated excellent interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

Refine a predictive model of plant-microbial interactions for bioenergy and agricultural ecosystems.
Synthesize existing data to generate validation for model developments.
Lead field campaigns to measure and experimentally manipulate plant-microbial interactions in bioenergy systems.
Perform chemical analyses of plant and soil samples in the lab.
Work with hourly student workers to ensure proper sample analysis and data quality control.
Travel to remote field sites to collect plant and soil samples.
Communicate research orally at scientific meetings as well as written publications in scientific journals.
Assist in the preparation of grant proposals to federal agencies including DOE, NSF, and USDA.