Postdoctoral Researcher – Forest Ecosystem Modeling University of Florida, Gainesville, Department of Biology Supervisors: Jeremy Lichstein (http://biology.ufl.edu/People/faculty/jlichstein.aspx), Kaoru Kitajima (http://www.biology.ufl.edu/People/faculty/kitajima.aspx), and Stefan Gerber (http://soils.ifas.ufl.edu/personnel/gerber.html)
We are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for a postdoctoral researcher with expertise in forest ecosystem modeling. This project will make use of a recently developed next-generation global ecosystem model that represents individual-level height-structured competition for light (see details below). The research questions are broadly defined to encompass the response of the forest carbon cycle to climate change, rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations, and other aspects of global change. The successful candidate will actively participate in developing a research program tailored to their specific interests. We are particularly interested in assimilating data sources that span multiple spatial and temporal scales, including plant trait databases, eddy-covariance tower networks, and forest inventories. We are currently collecting a novel data set as part of an NSF-funded study on the temperature response of tropical trees to experimental warming (see http://people.biology.ufl.edu/jlichstein/respiration_summary.pdf). This data set provides new observational constraints on the response of tropical forests to climate change. The University of Florida provides an exciting and diverse intellectual environment for research in ecosystem ecology and quantitative modeling. The Biology Department hosts leading research efforts in boreal, temperate, and tropical ecosystem ecology, as well as theoretical and computational biology. Collaborators in the School of Forest Resources and Conservation and the Department of Soil and Water Science provide additional resources and perspectives. The UF High Performance Computing Center (http://hpc.ufl.edu/) is a world-class computing facility. The new model, developed in collaboration with Princeton University and the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), combines the NOAA- GFDL LM3V land model (Shevliakova et al. 2009, Global Biogeochem. Cy. 23:GB2022; Gerber et al. 2010, Global Biogeochem. Cy. 24:GB1001) with the mathematically and computationally tractable PPA forest dynamics model (Strigul et al. 2008, Ecol. Monog.78:523-545; Purves et al. 2008, PNAS 105:17018-17022). Because the model is formulated at the scale of individual trees, it naturally accommodates successional diversity (e.g., pioneer and shade-tolerant tree species) and links directly to the millions of individual-level observations of tree growth and mortality available from forest inventory plots. We will encourage the successful candidate to take advantage of the new unique opportunities afforded by this new model, but we remain open to other models and modeling approaches. Qualifications: PhD in ecology, plant physiology, geosciences, applied mathematics, or related field; strong quantitative and writing skills. Preference will be given to applicants with (1) research experience in terrestrial ecosystem ecology or plant physiology, and (2) strong mathematical, statistical, and computational skills (i.e., proficiency with one or more scientific programming languages, such as C, FORTRAN, or R). Applicants who lack these qualifications should explain in a cover letter their motivation for transitioning to ecosystem modeling research and their preparation for doing so. Start date is flexible, with a preferred date before October 2012. Funding: two years, with competitive salary and benefits To Apply: Email a single pdf to Jeremy Lichstein ([email protected]) with subject POSTDOC: ECOSYSTEM MODELING including (1) cover letter with a 1-2 page statement of research interests and goals; (2) CV; and (3) contact information for three references. Minorities, women and members of other underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. The University of Florida is an equal opportunity institution.
