A post-doctoral opportunity is available to research the legacy of urbanization on soil capacity to provide ecosystem services in former industrial cities. The postdoc will provide leadership on the project and participate in field and laboratory research to measure biological, chemical, and physical facets of soil quality. The project will compare soils from urban vacant lots, urban farms, parks, and rural organic farms for microbial community structure, invertebrates, metabolites, mineral and heavy metal levels, as well as predation activity and promotion of plant health and resistance. Qualifications include PhD in soil microbial ecology, ecosystem science, soil science, chemical ecology, or related fields. Candidates must have significant experience in field and laboratory research, analysis of multivariate datasets, and a strong record of peer- reviewed publications. Preferred experiences include molecular microbial community analysis and/or chemical characterization by GC-MS and LC-MS. Funding is available for two years through a contract with the USDA-AFRI Agroecosystem Management program. Interested applicants should submit a cover letter describing research interests and goals, current CV, and contact information for three references to the PI’s listed below.
Project PI’s: P. Larry Phelan ([email protected]) and Mary M. Gardiner ([email protected]). Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University (http://entomology.osu.edu/) Please submit an application by October 3, 2016 for full consideration The Ohio State University is committed to establishing a culturally and intellectually diverse environment, encouraging all members of our learning community to reach their full potential. We are responsive to dual-career families and strongly promote work-life balance to support our community members through a suite of institutionalized policies. We are an NSF Advance Institution and a member of the Ohio/Western Pennsylvania/West Virginia Higher Education Recruitment Consortium. The Ohio State University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation or identity, national origin, disability status, or protected veteran status.
