Postdoctoral Fellowship: Coral Reef Macroecology in the Anthropocene
National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) and University of
Victoria (UVic)
The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) invites applications
for two-year
postdoctoral fellowships that begin August 2014.
Fellows will undertake collaboratively-developed socio-environmental or
cyberinfrastructure synthesis
projects that are consistent with the mission of SESYNC. One new fellow will
develop a project on
coral reef macroecology in collaboration with Dr. Julia Baum (UVic) and Dr.
Jana McPherson (Calgary
Zoo), who will serve as postdoctoral mentors during the fellowship. Drs. Baum
and McPherson are
developing a gridded, high resolution set of human disturbance and eco-tuned
biophysical data
layers for use in large-scale statistical analyses of the interplay between
human and biophysical
factors with coral reef ecosystem services, function and resilience.
Requirements:
The postdoctoral researcher will first help to develop the new spatial data
product,
including compiling geospatial data, quality control, processing data
(converting from various
projections and scales to common grid, running summary computations on time
series of remote-
sensing data) and preparing meta-data and visualizations. To address questions
regarding the
influence of human and biophysical factors on coral reef ecosystems, he/she
will then construct and
validate spatial models (e.g. species distribution models and community-level
distribution models) for
Pacific coral reef fishes, using in-hand, regional-scale, standardized
underwater visual census data.
This position will be based at SESYNC in Annapolis, Maryland, with visits to
work with the postdoctoral
mentors in person at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
There will also be
opportunity to visit with collaborator Dr. Ivor Williams at NOAAs Coral Reef
Ecosystem Division in
Honolulu.
Qualifications:
§ A PhD in ecology, spatial modelling/GIS, oceanography, mathematical biology,
or computer
science.
§ Experience managing, manipulating, and modelling large spatial data sets,
including remotely
sensed data. Demonstrated proficiency with R, and at least one of Python, Java,
Ruby on Rails, GRASS
or similar applications. Excellent technical, analytical, computer,
organizational, and problem-solving
skills. Strong attention to detail, and meticulous work style, as evidenced by
previous research.
§ Excellent time management skills, including the ability to meet project
goals in a timely manner,
and follow through on projects.
§ Strong interpersonal and communication skills, the ability to work both
independently and
collaboratively, and to communicate research findings both at professional
meetings and in high
quality peer-reviewed journals.
Desired (not Required) Qualifications:
§ An interest in marine ecology, conservation and socio-ecological dynamics
are an obvious asset.
§ The ideal candidate will also be interested in and capable of learning and
utilizing emerging tools
for spatial analysis, and have proficiency in ArcGIS and in SQL database
construction, management
and manipulation, as evidenced by previous projects and publications.
To apply: Applicants must be successfully pre-screened by SESYNC. To submit a
pre-screening
application, please go to www.sesync.org/forms/prescreen-postdoc-2014.
Applicants must include a
CV. Following successful pre-screening, applicants are invited to contact Julia
Baum at [email protected]
to co-develop a full proposal for the postdoctoral fellowship. Final proposals
are due April 15, 2014
at 5pm Eastern Standard Time. Additional details about the SESYNC post-doc and
application can be
found here. http://www.sesync.org/opportunities/postdoc-2014#codev For
additional details about
the coral project please email Dr. Baum.
