The Smithsonian’s Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) and Environmental
Research Center (SERC) have an opening for a postdoctoral fellow to join a
scenario modeling project for the Northern Blue Ridge region of Virginia—a
15-county area including parts of the Potomac, Shenandoah, Rappahannock and
James River basins. The work of the Fellow falls in three broad areas.
First, adapt and calibrate a dynamic watershed model for water, sediment,
nitrogen, and phosphorus within subwatersheds comprising the study area.
Second, integrate the watershed model and a landscape model in order to
examine how alternate future land use and climate scenarios might affect
valuable ecological and cultural landscape features. Third, help to organize
and lead workshops with the general public and regional stakeholders to
identify relevant scenarios and integrate project results into local and
regional planning efforts. Applicants should have experience in watershed
modeling, a Ph.D. in a relevant science discipline (e. g, ecology,
hydrology, environmental engineering, or geography), peer-reviewed
publications, and professional presentations. Applicants also need strong
skills with geographic information system (GIS) analysis and multivariate
statistics. Other desirable skills include R and Python programming, data
base management, or remote sensing. The fellow will be an active participant
in project planning, data analysis, scientific publications, and public
outreach and must be able to work as part of an extended research team.
Therefore, interdisciplinary experience is a plus. The position is for one
year with possible renewal following review. The stipend is $46,000/year
plus health benefits. The position will be based at SCBI (Front Royal, VA)
with frequent trips to SERC (Edgewater, MD). For best consideration, send
letter of application, resume, undergraduate and graduate transcripts, and
names of three references (with contact information) by May 10, 2016 to Dr.
William McShea ([email protected]). Position will remain open until filled.
