Post-doctoral Quantitative Ecologist – Job Announcement Montana State University (MSU) and U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) in Bozeman, Montana seek a motivated post-doctoral ecologist to join a multi-disciplinary effort examining effects of climate change and mountain pine beetle disturbance on vegetation structure and composition, fire dynamics, and habitat suitability of selected woodpecker species. Synergistic interactions of climate, mountain pine beetle and wildfire are likely to catalyze landscape-scale changes in vegetation distributions, forest structure, and wildlife habitat suitability.
Job description: Primary work will be linking models of an ecosystem process, including a fire model (FireBGCv2, C-coded) with a model of mountain pine beetle demography (Matlab-coded), with a model of wildlife habitat suitability (R-coded). The linked models will allow for tracking tree and stand-level mortality in response to climate change and mountain pine beetle disturbance, and the associated interactions with fire, land management activities, and wildlife habitat suitability. The job will be located at RMRS on the MSU campus, Bozeman, MT and the successful candidate will be expected to spend work-time among Bozeman, Logan, UT, and Missoula, MT. Duties include acquiring, analyzing, and managing large climate databases; integrating models of mountain pine beetle demographics, fire, and avian demographics; analyzing spatial and tabular modeling results; manuscript preparation and publication; and oral presentations at workshops and scientific meetings. Duties require travel, the ability to publish research findings in a variety of formats including peer-reviewed professional journals and government technical reports, and the ability to develop collaborative relationships with professional colleagues. Qualifications: The applicant should have: (1) a Ph.D. focused on applied mathematical modeling or biostatistics in ecology or natural resources; (2) excellent quantitative skills; (3) a demonstrated ability to publish in peer-reviewed journals; and (4) strong motivation to work independently and as a team member. The successful applicant is preferred to have strong interest and skills in computer modeling. Ideally, the candidate will have experience in use of C and Matlab programming, and extensive database management skills. Experience with spatial data manipulation (e.g., ArcGis and/or ERDAS) and statistical (R) software, and associated programs (e.g., Python) are also strongly desired. Importantly, the candidate will have a background in ecology or natural resources. Time commitment & Salary: The post-doctoral appointment will be for two years, potentially renewable for an additional year based on performance and funding. Successful applicant will be an employee of MSU. Salary is $50,000 plus fringe benefits. We will begin reviewing applications on 1 September 2013 and will consider applicants until the position is filled. The ideal start date for the position will be between October and December 2013. Applications should include a two-page statement of research interests and accomplishments as they relate to the position, a full CV, and the names and contact information for three references. Send CV, statement of interest, reference list, cover letter, and copies of 3 relevant publications to Dr. Victoria Saab at [email protected]. For more information contact Dr. Saab, Dr. Barbara Bentz ([email protected]) or Dr. Rachel Loehman ([email protected]), and see websites http://www.rmrs.nau.edu/wildlife/birdsandburns/; www.usu.edu/beetle; and http://www.firelab.org/cfdg.
