Postdoc: Assessing the sensitivity of North American ecosystems to climate variability
The School of Natural Resources and the Environment is hiring a Postdoctoral Research Associate I to work in the The Ecosystem Climate Dynamics Laboratory. The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher interested in studying the sensitivity of North American ecosystems to climate variability utilizing a combination of novel field-, modeling-, and remote sensing-based approaches. The postdoc’s primary mentor will be Assistant Professor, Bill Smith<https://snre.arizona.edu/people/william-smith>, and funding will be available for up to 3-years based on satisfactory performance. Funds will also be available to cover travel costs for select workshops and national meetings. An initial focus will be semiarid ecosystems. Recent global analyses suggest that semiarid ecosystems have played a major role in driving increasing interannual variability of the global land carbon sink. The candidate will have the opportunity to explore these trends in depth by evaluating the ability of different satellite indicators to detect interannual variability of gross primary productivity (GPP) and evapotranspiration (ET) measured at 25 eddy covariance sites distributed across gradients in temperature (2 – 25 °C) and precipitation (100 – 1000 mm) for southwestern North America. Remote sensing indicators of interest include normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), enhance vegetation index (EVI), photosynthetic reflectivity index (PRI), and solar-induced fluorescence (SIF). There will also be opportunities for the selected postdoctoral researcher to develop and explore their own research questions within the scope of the project. The postdoc will have the opportunity to work closely with a diversity of top research labs at the University of Arizona, including the Arizona Remote Sensing Center<http://snre.arizona.edu/facilities/arsc>, Terrestrial Vegetation and Climate Lab<http://djpmoore.tumblr.com/home>, Terrestrial Ecology Lab<http://ag.arizona.edu/research/breshears/>, and Laboratory of Tree Ring Research<http://ltrr.arizona.edu/>. In addition, the candidate will have the chance to collaborate with and learn from scientists at the USDA – Agricultural Research Service and the US Geological Survey. Finally, there will be opportunities to contribute to research focused on improving satellite-based estimates of disturbance, land use change, vegetation productivity, and evapotranspiration underway at the University of Montana (NTSG<http://www.ntsg.umt.edu/>). Required Qualifications: * Candidates must have earned their Ph.D. by 01/01/2017. * Demonstrated experience in ecosystem science and a broad perspective on ecosystem processes and climate feedbacks. Desired Qualifications: * Candidates should exhibit a strong ability to collaborate with an interdisciplinary team. * Strong organizational and communication skills (both oral and written). * Prior experience with spatiotemporal data and geospatial analysis using R, Python, and/or other computer programming languages is highly desired. * A proven publication record in peer-reviewed scientific journals and a demonstrated high level of productivity. The postdoc will be housed in the state-of-the-art Environment and Natural Resources 2 building<http://www.environment.arizona.edu/enr2> at the University of Arizona. The University of Arizona has been recognized on Forbes 2015 America’s Best Employers in the United States and has been awarded the 2015 Work-Life Seal of Distinction by the Alliance for Work-Life Progress. If you are interested in applying for this position, please 1) contact Bill Smith ([email protected]<mailto:[email protected]><mailto:[email protected]>); and 2) apply through the University of Arizona UACAREERS web portal: https://uacareers.com/postings/13707. Applications should consist of a full curriculum vitae, a 1-page statement of research interest, a pdf-file of one publication, and the contact information for three references. We will start reviewing applications on 11/01/2016. Thank you, Bill Smith — William Kolby Smith Assistant Professor, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, N417 Environment & Natural Resources 2, University of Arizona Email: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Phone: (520)621-1056 Skype: wkolby | Twitter: @wkolby snre.arizona.edu/people/william-smith<https://snre.arizona.edu/people/william-smith> wkolby.org/<https://wkolby.org/>
