Postdoctoral fellowship – Nitrogen deposition and serpentine grassland invasions
A postdoctoral position is available immediately, extending through December 2010, to work with Profs. Erika Zavaleta, Paul Koch and Zdravka Tsakova on an interdisciplinary research project at the University of California, Santa Cruz. To apply, please send your CV, two or more professional references, available reprints, and a cover letter addressing your interest in the position and your earliest feasible start date to Erika Zavaleta at [email protected]. The project goals are to document and understand the effects of ongoing N deposition on the largest serpentine grassland ecosystem in the Bay Area, and to examine the effectiveness of management and policy strategies to mitigate these effects. Additional details are provided below. The ideal candidate has completed his or her Ph.D. in field ecology, biogeochemistry, environmental studies or a related field and has experience in one or more of: plant ecophysiology, stable isotope ecology, dendroecology, terrestrial plant community and ecosystem ecology, plant invasion biology, collaborative ecological research, and the application of science to policy formulation, political science, ethnography, or other social scientific research. The position is 100% time, with duties including overall project coordination and a central role in the execution, analysis, and authoring of manuscripts and conference presentations to report results of the research. To apply, please send your CV, two or more professional references, available reprints, and a cover letter addressing your interest in the position and your earliest feasible start date to Erika Zavaleta at [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>. The fellow will be housed in the Environmental Studies Department. The research project consists of five parts with interlinked objectives: (1) to document and quantify the progressive accumulation of N in historically N-limited serpentine grassland at the largest serpentine complex in the San Francisco Bay Area, (2) to understand the links between N deposition and progressive invasion of serpentine grasslands by exotics, through investigation of species-specific physiological responses to N deposition by exotic and native species, (3) to investigate the importance of N deposition relative to other biotic and abiotic factors varying at landscape scales in affecting serpentine communities, (4) to explore the interactive effects of cattle grazing, which is the prevailing management approach to controlling serpentine invasions, and increasing N availability on serpentine invasion, plant community and soil dynamics, and (5) to examine the role of science in the formulation of land management decisions affecting serpentine and other ecosystems at regional scales, specifically through the Santa Clara County Habitat Conservation Planning (HCP) process. To achieve these objectives, we will pursue a mix of field and greenhouse studies drawing from the diverse fields of biogeochemistry, stable isotope ecology, plant community ecology, dendroecology, and political science.
