A research position is available at the USGS Canyonlands Research Station
located in Moab, UT.
The successful candidate will work on a collaborative project examining how
climate change
(experimental manipulations with heating and watering treatments) will affect
the biological soil
crusts, plants, and biogeochemical cycles of the Colorado Plateau. Within the
framework of this
large, Department of Energy-funded experiment, this successful candidate will:
1) oversee field
and lab experiments; 2) supervise technicians helping with data collection; 3)
effectively use
statistical analyses to assess treatment effects; and 4) communicate results in
presentations and
peer-reviewed publications. This experiment offers an exciting opportunity to
elucidate how
climate change predicted to be notably strong on the Colorado Plateau will
affect the plants,
soils, and ecosystem function of the region. Specifically, this position will
focus on elucidating the
mechanisms behind the observed mortality of plants, lichens, mosses, and
cyanobacteria in
response to warming and precipitation treatments. This will require field and
laboratory measures
of factors such as desiccation tolerance (e.g., osmoprotectant production), UV
sensitivity (e.g., UV
pigment production) and physiology (e.g., gas exchange, fluorometry). A Ph.D.
or Masters degree
is required and a background in laboratory and field methods in ecology, plant
physiology, and/or
biogeochemistry is preferred. The Canyonlands Research Station is a USGS-BRD
facility and the
successful applicant would be working with Drs. Sasha Reed and Jayne Belnap.
Moab, UT is a small
town offering a variety of outdoor adventures, and more information about Moab
can be found at
www.discovermoab.com.
Salary depends on degree: for PhD, is $47,500/year plus full benefits and
Masters is $38,800
plus full benefits. Preferred start date is Spring/Summer 2013. The position
is expected to last
1.5 years, but possibly longer. This is not a federal position, as funding will
come from a
collaborating university. Interested individuals should submit a cover letter,
curriculum vitae, and
contact information for three references to Erika Geiger ([email protected] or
mailed to 2290
S.W. Resource Blvd., Moab, UT 84532). Electronic applications are preferred.
