The Department of Wildland Resources at Utah State University is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow I to assist a team of researchers to better understand how fire might impact erosion and debris flows, including impacts to transportation corridors. The Postdoctoral Fellow will mainly assist by predicting fire severity to improve post-wildfire sedimentation risk models.
The position is intended to be for one year, with renewal for a second year contingent on performance and funding.
The successful candidate will:
- Take a leadership role in developing and implementing a fire severity prediction model, in close collaboration with PIs across our interdisciplinary research team (Belize Lane, Patrick Belmont, Brendan Murphy, Larissa Yocom, Jon Czuba, Scott David), as well as associated postdocs, students, and staff;
- Publish one to two lead-author papers related to our research group's ongoing wildfire research program and contribute to additional co-authored publications with members of the research team;
- Be able to summarize and communicate results to a wide variety of stakeholders via web-based forums, stakeholder meetings, presentations, etc.;
- Provide mentoring for graduate and undergraduate students associated with the project.
Minimum Qualifications:- PhD in relevant field (Forestry, Ecology, Biology, or related field)
- Familiarity with fire ecology, fire modeling, and forest ecology
- Proficiency in ArcGIS and coding in Python, Matlab, and/or R
- Familiarity with statistics
Along with the online application, please attach:
1. Resume to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under "Resume/CV"
2. Transcripts (official or unofficial) to be uploaded at the beginning of your application
3. Cover letter to be typed/pasted at the end of your application, describing your background, interest in modeling fire severity, and how you anticipate contributing to the project
4. Names and contact information for three references
Document size may not exceed 10 MB.
Commensurate with experience plus excellent benefits
Employees work indoors and are protected from weather and/or contaminants, but not, necessarily, occasional temperature changes. T he employee is regularly required to sit and often uses repetitive hand motions.
The S. J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources is nationally and internationally recognized for its research, extension, and teaching on natural and socio-environmental ecosystems. It is a high-impact college at Utah State University with over $15M in research funding annually, 55 tenure-track faculty in three departments, and close partnerships with federal and state natural resource agencies.
The Department of Wildland Resources in QCNR encompasses research in applied terrestrial ecology, including the ecology and management of wildlife, forests, rangelands, conservation biology, and climate change adaptation. Award-winning faculty teach courses that prepare students for professional careers in many natural resources fields, including programs accredited by the Society of American Foresters and the Society for Range Management and aligned with the Society of Ecological Restoration.
Founded in 1888, Utah State University is Utah's premier land-grant and space-grant university, with a strong commitment to excellence, access, and inclusion. USU serves approximately 27,500 students throughout the state at three residential campuses, eight statewide campuses, and 23 education centers. USU Online has served students from all 50 states and 55 countries for over 25 years, and USU Extension provides outreach and service to all counties in Utah.
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