Post-Doctoral or PhD Research Opportunity: Climate Change Impacts on Arctic Land and Water Surface Processes
This position is being re-advertised. We seek a Post-Doctoral fellow or PhD student to work on a project funded by the NSF Arctic System Science program, entitled Spatial and Temporal Influences of Thermokarst Failures on Surface Processes in Arctic Landscapes. This is a large, multidisciplinary, and collaborative project that focuses on how a widespread and long-term increase in the incidence of thermokarst features will impact the structure and function of arctic landscapes. Specific components focus on the composition of vegetation, the distribution and processing of soil nutrients, and exports of sediments and nutrients to stream and lake ecosystems. This research is designed to address how changing land surface processes and formation of thermokarst features feedback to the climate system through energy, albedo, water, and trace gas exchange. Additional information about this program of research can be found at http://thermokarst.psu.edu. We seek a highly-motivated person who will lead and develop a component of this project that is focused on Simulation of Long-Term Landscape Dynamics. The incumbent will further develop existing models of long-term landscape change to incorporate the influences of thermokarst failures. This position may be filled at the Post-Doctoral level or at the PhD level. A firm grasp of mathematical representations of complex systems is essential and some background in programming and systems modeling is expected, though the experience could be in areas different from ecosystem or landscape ecology. The successful candidate will be housed at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont, with Dr. William Breck Bowden, but will collaborate closely with Dr. Ed Rastetter at the Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. The successful candidate for this position must be able to work well independently and as a part of a larger, diverse team of scientists, fellow Post-Docs, and graduate students. Potential applicants should realize that this project may entail field research at remote sites in the arctic the western Brooks Range and the North Slope of Alaska under conditions that can be physically challenging. The successful applicant will be integrally involved in efforts to incorporate research from the overall project into several educational and outreach activities. Professional mentoring opportunities exist within the group and through the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS). Please contact Dr. Ed Rastetter at [email protected] (508-289-7483) or Dr. Breck Bowden at [email protected] (802-238-0929) for further details. Applications are encouraged immediately. This position will remain open until a suitable candidate is identified. The partners in this collaborative effort are Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employers. Applications from women and people from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds are encouraged.
