Postdoctoral Fellow II - SWCASC - CAP

Utah State University

Logan, UT, USA 🇺🇸

Overview

Utah State University, through its membership in the Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (SWCASC), seeks a postdoctoral researcher (Postdoctoral Fellow II) as part of the National Climate Adaptation Science Center’s Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral (CAP) Fellows Program.

Responsibilities

The CAP postdoctoral researcher will be based at Utah State University and will lead regionally focused synthesis research aimed at understanding barriers to implementing instream flows to protect aquatic life in the desert southwest. The scholar will have an opportunity to work with an interdisciplinary group of Faculty across natural, physical, and social sciences. Recent legislation in Utah allowing instream flows to protect natural resources will afford the postdoc the opportunity to engage with statewide managers to implement aquatic flow protection. In addition, the CAP scholar will collaborate with other CAP scholars from across the country on national scale synthesis research on how climate change will impact aquatic flows and how this information can be integrated into aquatic ecosystem management. The CAP scholar will participate in regular training and professional development opportunities, including training on the co-production of actionable science with natural resource decision-makers, as well as interdisciplinary collaboration across academic disciplines.

Regionally Relevant Research:
Climate change threatens the resilience of the southwest region’s mountain water towers with potential outcomes including reduced snowpack, earlier snowmelt, and more precipitation falling as rain rather than snow. Adaptation to these hydrologic changes will be shaped by complicated technical, legal, and behavioral constraints that characterize the region’s social-ecological-technical system. Under these constraints, natural resource managers aim to define environmental flows that protect water quality and sensitive aquatic species. The proposed project will support a postdoctoral fellow to synthesize existing data to address questions and issues such as: How will rising temperatures, changes in snowpack, and more extreme/variable precipitation impact stream flow in the southwest? How do these physical variables endanger stream flow regimes? How will changing flow regimes influence aquatic communities and ecosystem services? What collaborative management frameworks might best infuse scientific insights into preemptive management or adaptation actions to prepare for future water flows?

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

  1. A PhD at the time of appointment in relevant discipline such as ecology, watershed science, hydrology, geography, natural resources management/sociology, etc.
  2. A record of relevant peer-reviewed publications, data products, and commitment to scholarship.
  3. The ability to effectively communicate research findings with scientists and practitioners alike.
  4. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work independently and collaboratively.
  5. Experience (or demonstrated interest in) working with decision-makers to produce actionable science for informing natural resource management.

Preferred Qualifications:

  1. Experience with assessment of stream flow characteristics (e.g. magnitude, duration, frequency, variability).
  2. Experience using machine learning algorithms and/or statistical models in ecological/environmental/social science applications.
  3. Experience working in interdisciplinary teams.

The position will remain open until filled.  Applications received by January 9, 2023, will receive priority consideration.  Incumbent should be available to participate in initial training with the national CAP scholars in March 2023.

Questions about the position should be addressed to Dr. Michelle Baker (michelle.baker@usu.edu).

Required Documents

Along with the online application, please attach:

  1. CV to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Resume/CV”.
  2. Name and contact information for at least 3 professional references.
  3. Cover letter outlining interest in the position and how it aligns with career goals, research interests, and interest/experience in the co-production of actionable science to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Documents 1-10”.

**Document size may not exceed 10 MB.**

Advertised Salary

Commensurate with experience plus excellent benefits

ADA

Employees work indoors and are protected from weather and/or contaminants, but not, necessarily, occasional temperature changes.  The employee is regularly required to sit and often uses repetitive hand motions.

University Highlights

Utah State University (USU) was founded in 1888 and is Utah’s land-grant and space-grant university. USU is one of only 146 research institutions in the U.S. classified as R1 “very high research activity” by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. As one of the two premier research institutions in Utah, USU provides a high-quality education at an affordable price. With its main campus in Logan, the university serves approximately 27,500 students, including 24,255 undergraduates and 3,171 graduate students. USU Online has served students from all 50 states and 55 countries for 25 years.

USU’s statewide system features three residential campuses, 30 total campus locations, and 23 Extension education centers. The university employs 903 full-time faculty members, 124 executive administrators, and 1,649 full-time support staff. USU offers 115 undergraduate majors, as well as 91 master’s and 42 doctoral degrees. Learn more about USU.

A core characteristic of USU is engagement with communities and people in economic development, improvements to quality of life, and human capital. Through the practical application of knowledge, the University and its faculty engage and share expertise with the state, nation, and world, preserving the historical land-grant tradition of partnering with communities to address critical societal issues in the interest of the public good.

The USU main campus is located in beautiful Logan, Utah, a city of about 50,000 situated in a picturesque mountain valley about 80 miles north of Salt Lake City. Outstanding recreational opportunities abound in the nearby mountains and proximate region.

USU is sensitive to the needs of dual career couples and provides a Dual Career Assistance program to support careers for partners who are also seeking employment.

USU endeavors to provide reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access in all aspects of employment to qualified persons with disabilities. To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability, please contact the university’s ADA Coordinator in the Human Resource office at 435-797-0122 or submit a request at hr@usu.edu.

USU Land Acknowledgment

Please visit our website to learn about Utah State’s land acknowledgment of the eight tribes of Utah.

Notice of Non-discrimination

In its programs and activities, including in admissions and employment, Utah State University does not discriminate or tolerate discrimination, including harassment, based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by University policy, Title IX, or any other federal, state, or local law.

The following individuals have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the application of Title IX and its implementing regulations and/or USU’s non-discrimination policies:

Executive Director of the Office of Equity Matthew Pinner, discrimination@usu.edu, Distance Education Rm. 401, 435-797-1266

Title IX Coordinator Matthew Pinner, titleix@usu.edu, Distance Education Rm. 404, 435-797-1266

Mailing address: 5100 Old Main Hill, Logan, Ut 84322

For further information regarding non-discrimination, please visit https://equity.usu.edu/, or contact:

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 800-421-3481, OCR@ed.gov

U.S. Department of Education, Denver Regional Office, 303-844-5695, OCR.Denver@ed.gov


POSITION TYPE

ORGANIZATION TYPE

EXPERIENCE-LEVEL

DEGREE REQUIRED

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