Postdoctoral Fellow

Overview

The Department of Wildland Resources at Utah State University invites applications for a 12-month postdoctoral fellow (with the opportunity to extend) to participate in research focused on predicting fire severity to improve post-wildfire sedimentation risk models.

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, 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. The position is intended to be for one year, with renewal for a second year contingent on performance and funding.

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

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated ability to publish peer-reviewed manuscripts
• Experience preparing grant applications and reports
• Experience mentoring graduate and undergraduate student researchers

Along with the online application, please attach:

Minimum $50,000 / year commensurate with experience plus excellent benefits

The environment and physical requirements may change depending on the specific function of the work each department performs. Incumbents may be in both indoor and outdoor environments. Indoors, in an office space, event space, or public space are protected from weather conditions, but not necessarily from temperature changes. Incumbents may nearly continuously sit and often use repetitive hand motion (such as typing).

Outdoors, incumbents may not be protected from weather conditions and may be exposed to extreme heat and extreme cold. Bending, crawling, and crouching may be required. Incumbents may be required to lift, push, and/or pull objects up to 50 pounds and be required to walk and/or stand for long periods of time.

The S.J. & Jessie

E. Quinney College of Agriculture and Natural Resources is committed to enhancing lives and landscapes through education, research, and outreach. We work across biological, physical, and socioeconomic boundaries to better understand natural and managed ecosystems and to promote the ethical use of land, food, water, and economic resources. Our faculty are nationally and internationally recognized for their scholarship and engage in collaborations that advance discovery and innovation across disciplines.

Many hold Extension appointments that connect their research directly to communities throughout Utah.

With a statewide network of campuses and learning centers, the college serves people in both urban and rural communities as part of the university’s land-grant mission. We foster professional collaboration within and beyond the university, and experiential learning for students at all phases of their academic path. Faculty and students benefit from Utah’s remarkable and varied landscapes, which provide unparalleled opportunities for field-based research, education, and outreach.

Founded in 1888, Utah State University is Utah’s premier land-grant, public service university.…