Postdoctoral Scholar position to join the USDA Forest Service on a project investigating community-level adaptation to wildfire in the American West. Compensation will be between $69,107 – $94,199 annually depending on credentials and location. This is a two-year position. The start date is flexible; applicants who can begin spring or summer 2023 will be considered.
The postdoctoral candidate position will work for the US Forest Service, Northern Research Station Work Unit NRS-08, “Communities and Landscapes of the Urban Northeast: Science and Application” with several potential locations (Baltimore, MD, New York City; or potentially remote within conterminous US).
The postdoctoral scholar will work across several sites in the American West, compiling and collecting geospatial data and qualitative data (interviews) to examine wildfire adaptation efforts across and within communities. We seek a geographer, social-ecological systems scientist, social scientist, adaptation scientist, or planner to lead data collection, analysis, scientific writing, and outreach activities. The position will work in a team, leading efforts to understand how local-level wildfire adaptation influences and interacts with federal wildfire risk reduction efforts, including fuel treatments. This research aims to elucidate critical social and ecological conditions that influence adaptation actions among federal and other actors. The postdoctoral researcher will also contribute to broader team efforts to collate information on governance and communication, yielding best practices in collaborative risk reduction.
The postdoc will join a larger team of collaborators from the USDA Forest Service, FilterLabs, Community Wildfire Planning Center, University of Colorado Denver, and Portland State University.
Qualifications
Required
- PhD in relevant field – geographer, social-ecological systems scientist, social science of natural resource management, adaptation scientist, or planner (by anticipated start date)
- Strong publication record (relative to timing of degree)
- Experience with qualitative data collection and analysis
- Facility with geospatial data and ArcGIS software
Preferred
- Experience conducting research independently, including fieldwork experience
- Familiarity with land use planning and natural hazards, natural resource management, and/or wildfire issues
- Experience with NVIVO software or similar
If interested, please email a CV, cover letter, writing sample, and contact information for 3 references to Dr. Miranda Mockrin ([email protected]).
In the cover letter, please detail research experience, fit for the position (including specific methodological skills and experience with each of the other required and preferred qualifications), and career goals following the position.
Review of applications will begin March 15, 2023. The position will remain open until filled. Contact Dr. Miranda Mockrin ([email protected]) with questions.
Members of underrepresented racial or ethnic groups are highly encouraged to apply