Postdoctoral Position at FIU, Miami: Benthic Algal Community Ecology Desired start date: Summer/Fall 2014
Duration: 1 year, renewable Salary: $45,000/year plus benefits Location: Florida International University (FIU), Miami, FL (Gaiser lab & Southeast Environmental Research Center) Position Description: We seek a talented and enthusiastic postdoctoral researcher to work with a team of researchers studying the mechanisms of community change in the Everglades. This expansive ecosystem encompasses a matrix of communities arrayed along environmental gradients driven by water flow and quality that respond to climate variability and water management decisions. Landscape-scale hydrologic restoration on a backdrop of climate change provides a novel experimental medium for understanding the mechanisms and trajectories of community change. Many Everglades habitats are functionally engineered by substantial mat-forming benthic microbial communities, so determining factors driving the structural organization of benthic mats is necessary to understand larger-scale ecosystem patterns and transformations. This research is enabled by the intersection of large-scale surveys, including 10+ years of carefully designed system-wide assessments, and long-term observational and experimental research of the Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research (FCE LTER) program at FIU. The postdoc will be based in the Gaiser lab at FIU, and will work with other faculty at the Southeast Environmental Research Center (SERC) and the FCE LTER. The primary role of the postdoc will be to conduct sophisticated community data analyses and prepare manuscripts for publication using multiple long-term and expansive spatial datasets. Datasets include hydrological, water quality and climatic parameters, and diatom and soft algal species abundances, and can be interpreted in the context of corresponding ecological data from research partners. The postdoc will also have the opportunity to collaborate in related mechanistic experimental studies in the Gaiser laboratory and on other projects in SERC and the FCE LTER program. Requirements: A PhD in an ecologically-related discipline is required. Excellent quantitative skills and a strong background in algal community ecology are needed for this position. Experience with analysis of large datasets in a theoretically-motivated meta-community context is preferred. Applicants must have a demonstrated record of publication in this field in peer-reviewed journals, and a proven ability to interface well with collaborators and students. To apply: Please send a single PDF containing (1) a cover letter describing your fit for this position (particularly describing your quantitative skills, past accomplishments & career goals), (2) a CV including a list of 3 references, and (3) representative publications to Dr. Evelyn Gaiser, [email protected]. Please use the subject matter: Everglades postdoc + your last name in your email. Review of applications will begin July 1st. Position is open until filled. We thank you in advance for your application and please expect a contact only if selected for an interview. For more information, please visit: http://fce.lternet.edu/ http://sercweb.fiu.edu/ http://seas.fiu.edu/ http://biology.fiu.edu/ SERC is a research-intensive and productive academic unit with strong expertise in freshwater and marine ecology, biogeochemistry, and tropical/subtropical ecosystem dynamics. FIU is a public research university in Miami with a highly diverse, vibrant, and growing student body located near the edge of the Everglades. Our multiple campuses serve over 50,000 students, placing FIU among the ten largest universities in the nation. FIU is Carnegie-designated as both a research university with high research activity and a community-engaged university. FIU leads the nation in granting bachelor's degrees, including in the STEM fields, to minority students, and is first in awarding STEM master's degrees to Hispanics. FIU is a member of the State University System of Florida and is an Equal Opportunity, Equal Access Affirmative Action Employer. ----------------------- Evelyn Gaiser, Ph.D., Professor Lead Principle Investigator, Florida Coastal Everglades LTER Department of Biological Sciences Southeast Environmental Research Center Florida International University 11200 SW 8th Street, ECS 337 Miami, FL 33199 (305) 348-6145 [email protected]
