Summary: A postdoctoral position is available at Los Alamos National Laboratory to investigate interactions between vegetation mortality, the terrestrial carbon cycle, and climate. Specifically, we are looking for expertise in either remote sensing or terrestrial modeling at ecosystem to global scales, thus we solicit applications from candidates with interests and skills in either remote sensing or modeling. Depending on expertise, the successful candidate will either: 1) develop and test remote sensing approaches to detect vegetation mortality at large scales, or 2) test and apply a new cutting-edge model of vegetation physiology, survival, and mortality within the framework of the Community Land Model (CLM) and the Community Earth System Model (CESM).
This position is part of an interdisciplinary project utilizing remote sensing, field observations, ecosystem modeling, and climate modeling to understand the drivers and consequences of vegetation mortality. The successful applicant will work within an interdisciplinary team of staff members, postdocs, and technicians from LANL as well as the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the University of Idaho, the University of Montana, and Lawrence-Berkeley National Lab. Required skills: a Ph.D. pending or received within the last five years; experience with vegetation remote sensing using fine spatial resolution data or using Landsat and MODIS; or, modeling land-atmosphere interactions, preferably with the CESM and CLM in high-performance computing environments. They should have demonstrated ability to publish peer-reviewed papers, effective written and oral communication skills, and a willingness to work in a team environment. For the modeling focus, the applicant should also have a working knowledge of FORTRAN, C or C++ and analysis/visualization packages such as NCL, MATLAB, and/or IDL. Desired skills: include knowledge of physiological or ecosystem ecology, hydrology, and experience working with remotely sensed data. Salary and benefits: see <http://www.lanl.gov/science/postdocs/salary_guidelines.shtml>. About Los Alamos: Los Alamos, New Mexico sits at 7,500' in the Southern Rocky Mountains. The town is an outdoor enthusiasts paradise with more than 300 days of sunshine per year during our four distinct seasons. Only thirty miles away, Santa Fe includes a wide array of cultural activities, including a wonderful outdoor opera house, world-class museum and art galleries and a great selection of fine restaurants. For more information or to apply please contact Nate McDowell (mcdow...@lanl.gov) with your CV and potential start date. Note: this position is intended to fill a vacancy and has guaranteed funding from now through September 2013, with potential extensions. Candidates may also be considered for prestigious Director's, Oppenheimer, Feynman or Reines Fellowships. For general information refer to http://lanl.gov/science/postdocs/>Postdoctoral
