Postdoctoral Research Associate for Socio-Environmental Synthesis of Winter Weather Whiplash in collaboration among the University of New Hampshire, the University of Winnipeg, and the National Socio- Environmental Synthesis Center
Summary of Position Winter Weather Whiplash describes sudden swings in winter weather that drive the rapid transition from frozen to thawed and back to frozen conditions. These whiplash events may be problematic in areas where winter plays a prominent role in the socio-ecological system. However, the impact of winter weather whiplash on ecosystems, society, and the interactions between them, are largely unknown. The goal of the project is therefore to develop a suite of winter weather whiplash indices and associated physical, ecological, biogeochemical, and socioeconomic response metrics to determine the extent to which winter weather whiplash events have cascading impacts on ecosystems and their services. This project will assemble a diverse and interdisciplinary group of collaborators from private and public institutions across the United States and Canada to devise a novel understanding of how past and future winter climate change may broadly impact coupled natural-human systems in seasonally snow covered areas globally. We are seeking a postdoctoral fellow to work collaboratively with the team leads and project participants. The postdoc will help in the development of indices, devise a series of case studies examining the socio-environmental consequences, and determine how the indices and their impacts have changed over time. The fellow will conduct original synthesis research and lead the academic papers resulting from this work and will coordinate with team members to develop targeted outreach materials that disseminate findings to a broader audience. In addition to collaboration on the Winter Weather Whiplash project, applicants are expected to develop an individual project that will lead to additional publications and research products. While the postdoc will be mentored by Dr. Alix Contosta at the University of New Hampshire and Dr. Nora Casson at the University of Winnipeg, s/he will reside in Maryland at the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center. Acceptable Minimum Qualifications This position is open to applicants who have completed a PhD within the past 3 years in a relevant field. Successful applicants will have a background in climate science, ecosystem science, or human dimensions of environmental systems, with some familiarity in one of the other three subject domains. Candidates should also have strong quantitative skills and be comfortable with dealing with large data sets, as well as excellent oral and written communication abilities. For more information about the position please contact Dr. Alix Contosta, alix.conto...@unh.edu and visit our website: https://www.sesync.org/project/propose-a-pursuit/winter-weather- whiplash-developing-indices-of-extreme-winter-weather
