Pantropical Vegetation Dynamics Postdoctoral Fellow

Postdoctoral Fellow

The Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division at Berkeley Lab seeks a Pantropical Vegetation Dynamics Postdoctoral Fellow to combine observational synthesis, ecological theory, and numerical models to explore the dynamics of tropical forests responding and feeding back to climate. The position is part of the NGEE-Tropics project, a long-term, DOE-funded effort to bring together observational and theoretical approaches to build, inform, and test the representation of tropical forests within Earth system models.

NGEE-Tropics aims to fill the critical gaps in knowledge of tropical forest-climate system interactions, and works on cutting edge advancements in model predictions of tropical forest responses to a changing climate over the 21st Century.

We invite outstanding early career scientists to apply for a postdoctoral research position focused on Pantropical Vegetation Dynamics. The successful candidate will investigate processes associated with the large-scale structure and function of tropical forests, and how these are governed by plant traits as represented with a vegetation demography model. A central focus of this work is the study of mechanistic process-level controls on forest dynamics, including processes such as nutrient cycling and plant hydraulics, and how ecosystems respond to moisture and temperature stress, as well as anthropogenic and natural disturbances.

The postdoctoral researcher will have the opportunity to develop and pursue hypothesis-driven research within the broader goals of the NGEE-Tropics project.

You will:

• Run and test the ELM-FATES (E3SM Land Model configured to include the Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator) against multiple observational datasets at site to pantropical scales
• Apply ecological and plant physiological theory to explore mechanistic process controls and plant trait variation on ecosystem structure and the large-scale exchange of carbon, water and energy for tropical forests.
• Analyze complex datasets with the NGEE-Tropics data team, including eddy covariance, forest census, plant ecophysiology, remote sensing, land use/land cover change
• Investigate land-atmosphere feedbacks at time scales ranging from hourly to centennial, including under a range of climate and land use change scenarios
• Publish results in high-quality journals and contribute to proposals involving tropical biosphere-atmosphere interactions.
• Participate and present results in meetings and conferences

We are looking for:

• PhD in relevant field (e.g. climate science, ecology, plant physiology, forestry, geography)
• Background in data intensive processing and analysis using open-source code (e.g., Python, R)
• Demonstrated proficiency in code documentation and reproducibility, and collaboration platforms (e.g., Git Hub, Jupyter Notebook, R Markdown)
• An ability to understand and write land surface model code (e.g., FORTRAN) and interest in the application and testing of state-of-the-art land-surface models and/or Earth system models
• Record of publishing research in peer-reviewed journals
• Desire to work within an integrated, multi-institution team whose activities span from field research to Earth system model development

Desired skills/knowledge:

• Solid background in ecological, plant physiological, and biogeochemical theory
• We particularly encourage applicants with field experience or other backgrounds working in tropical forests
• Availability to travel for meetings at partner institutions

For consideration, please apply with the following application materials:

• CV
• Cover letter
• Research Statement

Additional information:

• Application date:
  Applications will be accepted until the job posting is removed.
• Appointment type:
  This is a full-time, 2 year, postdoctoral appointment with the possibility of renewal based upon satisfactory job performance, continuing availability of funds and ongoing operational needs. You must have less than 3 years of paid postdoctoral experience. Salary for Postdoctoral positions depends on years of experience post-degree.
• Salary range:
  The monthly salary range for this position is $6,573 - $8,921 and is expected to start at $6,573 or above. Postdoc…