Postdoctoral Research Associate

University of New Hampshire

1d • $55,000

About The Position

The Global Ecology group at the Earth Systems Research Center, University of New Hampshire (UNH), has an immediate opening for a postdoctoral research associate. The successful candidate will apply a dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM) to the conterminous USA and the globe, to explore future projections of vegetation conditions under climate change scenarios. The project is a joint venture with USDA Forest Service, and the study results will inform the Forest Service Resource Planning Act (RPA) Assessment. The successful candidate is anticipated to have a strong background in modeling and/or global ecology, is highly motivated to produce actionable science, and is ready to lead high impact journal publications. The postdoctoral research associate will be supervised by Dr. Xiao, with additional guidance from and collaboration with other UNH (Dr. Henrique Duarte) and Forest Service (Dr. John Kim) researchers. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until a suitable candidate has been selected. The initial appointment will be for 1 year, with a possibility to extend depending on performance and funding availability.

Requirements

• A Ph.D. in ecosystem modeling, vegetation modeling, earth system modeling, global ecology, or a related field.
• Strong research experience in modeling ecosystem processes at local to global scales.
• Experience exploring and manipulating continental to global scale ecological datasets.
• Demonstrated record of publishing in peer-reviewed journals.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a research team setting.
• Strong interest and motivation in writing high impact journal articles.
• Ability to read, understand, explore and manipulate scientific data files (e.g., netCDF).
• Strong programming skills in a tool that allows effective manipulation of gridded data, such as MATLAB, Python, R, or NCO.
• Ability to read and do limited modifications of C/C++ model source code.
• Ability to use Windows or MacOS.
• Ability to run simulations on a high performance computing platform running Linux and a job control system such as PBS or SLURM.
• Ability to use various software for composing a manuscript and plotting figures and maps suitable for publication, including GIS.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Ability to effectively survey and read relevant scientific literature, and collaboratively brainstorm paper writing opportunities based on current project.

Responsibilities

• Lead research on the calibration of the dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM) to two spatial extents/resolutions: conterminous USA (CONUS) and to the globe.
• Run the calibrated DGVM into the future using CMIP6 future climate projections selected by the FS RPA Assessment.
• Lead manuscript preparation and conference presentations on project findings, with a strong emphasis on the publication of high-quality and high-impact papers.

Benefits

• USNH Employee Benefits | Human Resources

What This Job Offers

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