Applications are invited for an NSF-funded two-year postdoctoral position with Carla Staver in EEB at Yale. We are seeking a candidate interested in modeling the spatial dynamics of biome distributions. Over large parts of their range, where climate can support forests, savannas persist because fire limits tree cover, which in turn promotes fire. One possible interpretation, supported by theoretical work, is that savannas represent an alternative stable state to forests under some climatic conditions, maintained by a positive feedback with fire. However, this largely ignores spatial processes within savannas and at the boundary between savanna and forest, which could substantially impact the distribution of savanna and forest globally.
The successful candidate will engage with Carla Staver and other Staver lab members to design original research, from a perspective in line with the candidate’s experience. More information about Staver lab research is available at http://staverlab.yale.edu. Participation in ongoing collaborations with co-PIs Simon Levin (Princeton) and Rick Durrett (Duke) may also be appropriate. Email your application with subject “Postdoc application” as a single PDF attachment to [email protected]. Please include (1) a cover letter outlining your research interests, qualifications for the position, and long-term career goals, (2) a CV, and (3) contact information (phone number and email) for three references. Applications will be considered starting on March 15th until the position is filled. This position is funded by the National Science Foundation Mathematical Sciences Division. More information on the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology is available at http://www.yale.edu/eeb. For information about postdoctoral appointments at Yale, please see http://www.yale.edu/postdocs/.
