The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) invites applications for two-year postdoctoral fellowships that begin June 1, 2015.
The new Postdoctoral Socio-Environmental Immersion Program will bring early-career scholars to SESYNC to: undertake individual synthesis projects; participate in workshops led by distinguished natural scientists and social scientists; and enhance their collaborative network, computational skills, and understanding of the science–policy nexus. Fellows will undertake synthetic projects focused on ecological systems and environmental change or on social systems and environmental change. Proposed projects can be interdisciplinary, but we also welcome applications that are primarily focused on ecological science or primarily focused on social science. Unique among environmental postdoctoral programs, a learning component of the new SESYNC postdoctoral program will steep Fellows in theory foundational to understanding socio-environmental systems. The core of this experience is a structured series of collaborative workshops led by visiting scholars but tailored to the postdoctoral experience. Periodically during the first year, small groups of distinguished scholars from disciplines important for socio-environmental research will visit SESYNC for several days of seminars, small-group discussions, and one-on-one interactions. During the second year, these scholars will revisit SESYNC for a capstone symposium with the possibility of a resulting synthetic paper(s) with the Fellows. For the 2015 postdoc cohort, the scholars will come from ecology, economics, anthropology, and sociology. PROJECT CO-DEVELOPMENT Fellowship applicants should choose a project idea and work with a prospective Research Collaborator, who will function as a project mentor, to co-develop it. Research Collaborators may be either from a continually updated list of scholars (provided by SESYNC to successfully pre-screened prospective Fellows) who have expressed previous interest in working with a SESYNC postdoc or someone you recruit. SESYNC must approve all potential Research Collaborators to ensure they understand the commitment they are making to your progress and success. Applications for Research Collaborators are due by September 15, 2014, 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). Visit http://www.sesync.org/opportunities/postdoc-collab for additional information on Research Collaborators. SUPPORT Appointments will be through the University of Maryland, and fellowship awardees must be based at SESYNC’s facilities in Annapolis, Maryland. Depending on their research interests, Fellows may choose to spend part of their time at the offices of our partner organization, Resources for the Future, located in Washington, D.C. The SESYNC postdoctoral fellowship provides an annual stipend, full University of Maryland employee benefits, and a small annual travel allowance to attend meetings or to meet with collaborators. Postdoctoral fellowships are awarded for a maximum of two years and include structured mentoring programs, facilitated access to policy makers, and opportunities to participate in ongoing Center activities. DEADLINES Research Collaborator application deadline: September 15, 2014, 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) Pre-screening application deadline: September 22, 2014, 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) Collaborator selection and commitment deadline: October 8, 2014, 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) Fellowship application deadline: November 3, 2014, 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) COMPLETE PROGRAM DETAILS Visit http://www.sesync.org/opportunities/postdoc-immersion for additional information.
