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Postdoctoral Research Associate in Nutrient Budget Analysis and Terrestrial Ecosystem Modeling

Appointment Type:
Post Doc/Trainee

Job Description:
Summary of Duties and Responsibilities:

The MacroSystems Ecology Lab (https://www.clu-lab.com/) in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, & Organismal Biology at Iowa State University has an opening for a postdoc scholar in Terrestrial Ecosystem Modeling. We are seeking an individual to work on 1) nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) budget analysis in the US for closing yield gap, reducing resources waste, and mitigating nutrient pollution; 2) modeling terrestrial water and nutrient cycling in coupled human-natural systems from delivery scale to large watersheds. The successful candidate will participate in an interdisciplinary research team to improve ecosystem model representations and prediction accuracy in land and instream hydrological and biogeochemical processes with lab incubations, high-frequency gauge monitoring, and long-term experimental data at different scales. The postdoc scholar is expected to independently reconstruct and analyze time-series geospatial datasets, test, improve, and implement the process-based land ecosystem models to quantify agricultural water and nutrient fluxes, and nitrate mitigation potentials. The specific duties include cross-scale data synthesis, data-model integration, model improvement, implementation, and uncertainty analysis. The postdoc will be encouraged to pursue new research direction (e.g., participate in development of research proposals), and will help manage the lab and interact with graduate and undergraduate students.

Required Minimum Qualifications:

A Ph.D. degree from an accredited institution in Ecosystem Ecology, Biogeochemistry, Ecohydrology, Soil Science, Atmospheric Science, Agriculture, Forestry, Remote Sensing or related fields with experience of terrestrial ecosystem modeling

Preferred Qualifications:

- Experience and background in geospatial dataset development, crop nutrient budget analysis, biogeochemistry/ecosystem modeling, remote sensing, geospatial analysis, and proficient coding skills (in at least one of R, Python, C or C++, MATLAB).

- Candidates familiar with the US agricultural nutrient management practices

- Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills

- A record of research publications in refereed journals of high quality

- Demonstrated ability to function well within multidisciplinary teams

Proposed Start Date:
July 1, 2022

Proposed End Date or Length of Term:
June 30, 2023

Number of Months Employed Per Year:
12 Month Work Period

Time Type:
Full time

Application Instructions:

To apply for this position, please click on “Apply” and complete the Employment Application. Please be prepared to enter or attach the following:
1) Resume/Curriculum Vitae
2) Letter of Application/Cover Letter
3) Contact Information for Three References
If you have questions regarding this application process, please email employment@iastate.edu or call 515-294-4800 or Toll Free: 1-877-477-7485.
Why Choose ISU?
Iowa State University is committed to fostering a workplace of belonging, where diversity is celebrated and equity is a core value. Our Iowa State Postdocs enjoy comprehensive health and work life benefits, including medical and dental; as well as:
• Retirement benefits including defined benefit and defined contribution plans;
• Generous vacation, holiday, and sick time and leave plans;
• Onsite childcare (Ames, Iowa);
• Flexible Spending Accounts;
• Various voluntary benefits and discounts
• Employee Assistance Program;
• Wellbeing Program.

Original Posting Date:
June 10, 2022

Posting Close Date:
June 18, 2022

Job Requisition Number:
R8724