Climate Change and Wildlife Science Fellow
Location: Washington, D.C.
Supervisor: Vice President, Climate Change and Natural Resources Adaptation
Position Description
Defenders of Wildlife is committed to understanding how climate change
threatens native species and their habitats, then acting to reduce these
vulnerabilities through adaptive, practical responses. The Climate Change and
Wildlife Science Fellowship offers a post-doctoral opportunity for professional
development and publication opportunities in the emerging field of climate
change adaptation policy and natural resources management.
The Climate Change and Wildlife Science Fellow will assist the organization in
understanding the impacts of climate change on wildlife and its habitat,
developing adaptation strategies, guidance or tools to mitigate the impacts
over the next century, and communicating these impacts and strategies to
policymakers, media, government agencies and the public. The Fellow is
encouraged to engage in entrepreneurial synthetic research and creative
outreach in support of adaptive policy and management solutions to climate
change. The Fellow will shape an innovative vision for addressing climate
change impacts and responses in the context of other major threats to
biodiversity (e.g., habitat destruction, invasive species, and human
development patterns). He/she will link technical scientific findings to
conservation action and will offer technical assistance and play a leading role
in "mainstreaming" climate adaptation into Defenders' conservation programs and
into government agency programs.
Located in Washington, D.C., the Climate Change and Wildlife Science Fellow
will have the opportunity to learn the intricacies of federal policymaking and
interact with decision makers in Congress, federal and state agencies, and
non-governmental organizations. The two-year fellowship provides an annual
stipend of $50,000, competitive benefits, and a travel and operational budget.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
* Conduct and/or apply synthetic research that is relevant to
adaptation of natural systems to climate change.
* Conduct and/or apply research into sociological and institutional
barriers to adopting adaptation approaches for biodiversity conservation.
* Assist in the development of legislative and administrative policy.
* Communicate awareness of climate change impacts and adaptation, and
disseminate new, emerging findings to Defenders' staff as well as to key
decision makers, the media, Defenders' membership, and the general public
* Represent Defenders in public meetings, hearings, press events,
conferences, and elsewhere
Perform all other related duties as assigned.
Qualifications
* Education: Ph.D. in conservation biology, ecology, climate change,
conservation planning, social ecology, or a related discipline in the natural
resources disciplines.
* Experience: Diverse experience with climate change science,
preferably involving connections to important themes in climate change,
conservation biology and conservation policy.
* An equivalent combination of education and experience may be
accepted as a satisfactory substitute for the specific education and experience
listed above.
* Other:
o Demonstrated ability to work independently to initiate,
implement, apply, and/or publish scientific research and to communicate such
research to both professional and lay audiences.
o Familiarity with some of the major climate research
organizations, such as the U.S. Global Change Research Program and/or the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
o Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain
scientifically productive interdisciplinary collaborations.
o Strong research, writing, organizational, and verbal
communications skills.
o Strong desire to publish policy-relevant reports and
peer-reviewed papers and able to balance writing workload with other coalition,
collaboration and communication work described herein.
* Comments: This position requires occasional domestic travel.
How To Apply
Interested applicants please reference Climate Change and Wildlife Science
Fellow in your subject line and submit a letter of interest, along with your
resume and salary history (must be included to be considered) to us via e-mail
at:
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]?subject=web:%20Application%20for%20Climate%20Change%20and%20Wildlife%20Science%20Fellow>
It is the policy of Defenders of Wildlife to provide equal employment
opportunity to all qualified individuals without regard to their race, color,
religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or any other characteristic
protected by law, in all personnel actions.
