Postdoctoral Opportunity in Applied Ecology A postdoctoral position is available in Hall Cushman’s lab in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science at the University of Nevada, Reno. The lab has recently moved from California to Nevada and is continuing an existing project in the Bay Area and establishing new ones in the greater Reno area. Research in the lab focuses on population, community and ecosystem ecology, with an emphasis on plant invasions, plant-herbivore interactions and the dynamics of tree and shrub populations. This work has an applied emphasis, is strongly field-oriented, and relies heavily on the use of experiments and observational studies stratified across environmental gradients.
The Postdoctoral Fellow will contribute to the lab’s research efforts in two main areas: 1) The long-term dynamics of aspen populations in the Sierra Nevada and mountain ranges of the Great Basin and Intermountain West, with emphasis on the importance of conifer invasion, herbivory and other biotic and abiotic factors in mediating the health and viability of these biodiverse forests. 2) Cascading effects of reintroducing once-extirpated large mammals on plant and animal communities and soil processes in coastal California ecosystems (see Ender et al. 2017, Ecology and Evolution 7:1561–1571). The Postdoctoral Fellow must be an excellent writer and ecologist, have experience conducting experiments, collecting observational field data and working with remotely-sensed data. They must also have well-developed abilities to analyze large data sets, a strong publication record, and an interest in collaborating on grant proposals to support ongoing research. The ideal Postdoctoral Fellow will be an individual who can collaborate effectively on projects with other lab members as well as develop their own projects within the lab’s study systems. The hope is that the position will continue for three years, although this will be contingent on the postdoc’s performance and productivity as well as funding. The desired start date for this position is August 15th, although slightly later dates in 2018 can be discussed. If you are interested in this position, please send a detailed letter of interest, CV and the names and contact information of at least three referees to Hall Cushman at jhcush...@unr.edu. J. Hall Cushman, Professor & Chair Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Science University of Nevada Reno, NV 89557 775/784-4000 (voicemail) https://hallcushman.weebly.com/
