Postdoctoral Research Associate

Texas A&M • Temple, TX

36d • Onsite

About The Position

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Agricultural, Animal, Rangeland, or Environmental Sciences Location: Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Temple, Texas Project: Enhancing APEX for simulating environmental and economic impacts of CAFO operations using the APEX model, funded by USDA-NRCS. Texas A&M AgriLife Research is seeking a highly motivated and innovative Postdoctoral Research Associate to support a USDA-funded project evaluating concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and manure management systems using the APEX agroecosystem model. The successful candidate will contribute to the enhancement, integration, and evaluation of model components for farm-scale carbon and nitrogen cycling across various livestock and manure management practices.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences, Animal Science, Rangeland Management, Environmental Sciences, or a closely related discipline.
• Demonstrated record of peer-reviewed publications.
• Experience in designing, analyzing, and interpreting data from field studies.
• Strong project management and technical writing capabilities.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to multi-task and work cooperatively with others.

Nice To Haves

• Proficient understanding of factors governing carbon and nitrogen cycling in farm-scale CAFO operations.
• Prior experience with process-based models such as EPIC, APEX, RUFAS, BCSM, GLEAM, or similar simulation frameworks.
• Proficiency in scientific programming (e.g., Python, Fortran) for data processing, model development, and computational analysis.

Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive literature reviews and gap analyses on regenerative animal production systems, manure management in CAFOs, and C–N cycling in soils, vegetation, manure, and livestock.
• Acquire, curate, and analyze field measurement datasets and associated environmental and economic information for model parameterization and validation.
• Develop or enhance model algorithms simulating carbon and nutrient budgets under varying manure housing and management practices using scientific programming languages.
• Implement newly developed modules and improvements into the APEX ecosystem simulation model.
• Assess agroecosystem C–N cycling dynamics influenced by concentrated ruminant‑livestock operations and changing environmental conditions.
• Evaluate and refine the performance of the enhanced model across various dairy systems and livestock/grazing management scenarios.
• Document model development processes and disseminate research findings through peer-reviewed publications and technical reports.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Health, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance with Texas A&M AgriLife contributing to employee health and basic life premiums
• 12-15 days of annual paid holidays
• Up to eight hours of paid sick leave and at least eight hours of paid vacation each month
• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas
• Employee Wellness Initiative for Texas A&M AgriLife

What This Job Offers

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