Position Announcement: *Ecosystem Services Analyst*
* *
*THE NATURAL CAPITAL PROJECT*
We are a partnership among *Stanford University’s Woods Institute for the
Environment, University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment,* *The
Nature Conservancy*, and* World Wildlife Fund* developing tools to model
and map the distribution of biodiversity and the**
flow of multiple ecosystem services across land- and seascapes. We seek a
creative and talented ecologist or economist with strong analytical and
modeling skills to advance the development, testing and application of
terrestrial and freshwater ecosystem service models.
We are a collaborative group of researchers and practitioners who seek
someone with expertise in the development of simple models through
regression analyses and/or simplification of complex models to develop
ranking models for multiple freshwater and terrestrial ecosystem services.
These models will identify where ecosystem service change is most likely to
happen across landscapes. They will be the backbone for decision support
tools that are being tailored for water fund design and permitting
requirements in Latin America and beyond. The successful candidate will
first focus on water-related services such as flood mitigation, water
quality regulation, erosion control and others, then turn to terrestrial
services (such as carbon sequestration, timber production, non-timber
forest products, forage production, livestock production, pollination,
etc). We seek applicants with diverse experience in the development and use
of statistical analyses and/or models to inform natural resource decisions,
and with a desire to think creatively about a broad set of biophysical and
social processes.
Our core team is based in Seattle, Washington, DC, University of Minnesota
and at Stanford, and we have active partners around the globe. This
position is housed at Stanford University and will be advised by Gretchen
Daily and Heather Tallis.
* *
*Principal Responsibilities:*
- Develop simple models for identifying where management changes (e.g.
protection, restoration, development) will have the largest positive or
negative impacts.
- Review literature and identify existing ranking approaches for
modeling individual ecosystem services.
- Using observed data or calibrated dynamic models, derive ranking
models for ecosystem services that do not yet have applicable, published
approaches.
- Validate simple models against established, more sophisticated
modeling approaches in several project areas
- Work with software development team to transition models into
decision support tool.
- Participate in stakeholder meetings where tool and underlying
models are applied in trial water fund design and permitting and
mitigation
applications.
- Incorporate feedback from stakeholder meetings into model structure.
- Present work at academic and practitioner conferences and workshops.
* *
*Required Qualifications:*
- Ph.D. in ecology, natural resource economics, agronomy, conservation
science or related fields.
- 5 years experience in statistical analysis or model development and
application, preferably for both primary research and practical settings.
- Established publication record in diverse, peer-reviewed journals.
- Strong interest in, and commitment to using science to inform policy.
- Experience working with collaborators from diverse backgrounds and the
capacity and interest to work with interdisciplinary teams.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with both technical
and non-technical audiences.
- Ability to produce rigorous analyses under tight deadlines
- Preferred familiarity with geographic information systems (ArcGIS,
GRASS, etc)
*Term:* December 1, 2011 through November 30, 2013 and beyond, contingent
upon funding.
*Location:* The position is a postdoctoral research position located in
Palo Alto, California at Stanford University and will require extensive
interaction with interdisciplinary teams and travel in Latin America.
*How to Apply:* Send a cover letter describing your experience and
interest, as well as a CV and contact information for three references to
[email protected] with ECOSYSTEM SERVICES ANALYST in the subject. We
will begin reviewing application *November 28, 2011* and the position will
remain open until filled.
Stanford University is committed to equal opportunity through
affirmative action in employment and we are especially eager to identify
minority persons and women with appropriate qualifications.
More information on the project can be found at
www.naturalcapitalproject.org
