Postdoctoral position, research on associational
effects and plant competition with optional mentored teaching fellowship
Ecology and Evolution group, Florida State University
We are seeking a postdoc to work with us on a new
project studying how associational effects
influence plant competition. Associational
effects occur when neighboring plants influence
each otherâs risk of herbivory; the goal of
this project is to determine if these individual
level interactions influence population and
community level processes. We are using a
combination of field experiments with native
old-field plants and development of
spatially-explicit theory. This project is based
at Florida State University in the Underwood lab
(http://bio.fsu.edu/%7enunderwood/homepage/) and
is a collaborative venture with Stacey Halpern
(http://www.pacificu.edu/as/biology/faculty/halpern.cfm)
at Pacific University and Brian Inouye at FSU (http://bio.fsu.edu/%7ebinouye/).
The postdoc will assist with experiments,
analyses and writing and help to develop new
directions for the research. We are thus looking
for a creative and independent researcher with a
background in plant-insect interactions and
ecology, strong quantitative or analytical
skills, and concrete ideas for relevant
theoretical or empirical work in our research system.
This postdoc also includes opportunities for
training in teaching. Interested postdocs could
enter our new teaching fellows program in which
the postdoc teaches one course per year, as
instructor of record, with substantial mentoring
by relevant faculty in our EE group. The postdoc
would teach the same course both years so that
experiences gained the first time could be
applied to a second run of the course. There is
also an opportunity to teach one course at
Pacific University (a primarily undergraduate
institution) to gain experience with the culture and expectations of PUIs.
Minimum qualifications include a PhD in a
relevant field, and strong experimental,
analytical or modeling skills. Applicants
interested in teaching must also have experience
as a teaching assistant in courses related to the
topic of this project. Annual salary starts at
$41,000/yr. Funding is available for one year,
with extension to two years with review. Start
date is flexible but could be as soon as spring 2015.
To apply (or if you have questions) email Nora
Underwood ([email protected]) ASAP. For
applications, email a CV and cover letter
describing your research interests, how you might
contribute to this project, and how this position
would relate to your long-term research goals,
and the names and contact information for three
references. If you are interested in the teaching
fellowship please include a brief statement of
why the teaching/research fellowship interests
you. Applications accepted until the position is filled.
Florida State University is an R1 research
institution. The Ecology and Evolution Group at
FSU is very interactive and friendly, with
particular research strengths at the intersection
of evolution and ecology. See
http://www.bio.fsu.edu/ee/index.html for more
information about the EE group and the area around FSU.
