Postdoctoral Fellow: Climate mitigation and adaptation solutions

Department: DGE – Global Ecology

Salary: $80,850

Location: Stanford, CA

Carnegie Institution for Science Department of Global Ecology (DGE) at Stanford is seeking creative, collaborative postdoctoral scholars to advance our work on improving water and agricultural sustainability under warming. Research will be highly data-driven, through quantitative research and spatial model development. 

Fellows will work primarily under the guidance of Dr. Lorenzo Rosa. Fellows will collaboratively design and conduct cutting-edge research, publish results in peer-reviewed journals, and present results at scientific conferences.  

Our research focuses on assessing the potential benefits and unintended climate and environmental consequences of innovations engineered to satisfy the increasing global demand for food, energy, and water. In our work, we aim to address the most urgent questions surrounding the sustainability of the Earth System. There will be flexibility regarding scientific questions to be studied, but potential areas of focus include:

• Mapping water scarcity under climate change in agricultural and energy systems;
• Analyzing solutions to water scarcity under global warming, including water storage and desalination;
• Quantifying climate change impacts on water resources;
• Quantifying how agriculture will be impacted by climate change and how farmers can adapt to new conditions;
• Assessing solutions to achieve net-zero energy emissions in agriculture.

Postdoctoral Fellows typically lead projects and help on other projects; peer-reviewed publication of results in high-quality journals is the norm. We want to hire people who see helping the group be successful as a key element in their own success strategy.

Postdoctoral Fellows at DGE have access to valuable research resources to launch successful scientific careers in academia and industry. Research resources include technical support staff, research equipment, and computing/IT resources. DGE seeks to provide a culture of mentoring and professional development for all postdoctoral scientists; additional professional development/training programs are offered internally. 

Responsibilities: 

• Work closely and collaboratively with other scientists to design, implement, analyze and summarize innovative research;
• Publish results in high-quality, peer-reviewed journals; 
• Present results at conferences and seminars. 

Required Qualifications: 

• Ph.D. in any scientific or engineering discipline with a grounding in energy, agriculture, hydrology, earth and environmental science, or related field;
• Analyses of large spatio-temporal agricultural datasets;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills;
• Strong quantitative analysis skills;
• Evidence of ability to work independently and in teams;
• Commitment to a collegial and inclusive workplace. 

Multiple positions are available with flexible start dates to begin within 12 months. Although initial appointments are for one year, the position is renewable and postdocs in the Department usually stay for two to three years. Carnegie offers competitive salary and comprehensive benefits. Applications will only be considered when submitted through our application portal. Applicants are required to submit a CV, cover letter, a research proposal, and the names and contact information of at least three professional references.  Please contact Lorenzo Rosa (e-mail: lrosa@carnegiescience.edu) with any questions about the position. 

Carnegie is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will receive consideration of employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, veteran status or any other characteristics protected by law. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse research community and we encourage applications by members of all underrepresented groups.

Please submit your application by clicking on the Apply Now box below or visit this link here:

https://jobs.carnegiescience.edu/jobs/apply/71446/

Research Technician

Department: DGE – Global Ecology

Salary: $18–22/hr, depending on qualifications and experience

Location: Stanford, CA

Seeking a part-time technician to aid in ecological research projects relating to plant invasion, climate change, and microclimates.  Employment will begin in July and end in October, with a potential extension through the academic year.  Hours are flexible.

Specific duties: assist in the construction and set-up of the experiments, with responsibilities including constructing soil moisture probes, building rainfall exclusion and temperature-manipulation structures; deploying sensors and dataloggers in the field; collecting, sorting, and counting seeds; preparing ion exchange membranes; mixing and sifting soil; and other related tasks as needed.

Required qualifications:

* Must have enthusiasm for learning new skills, be able to work well independently, be adaptable, reliable, detail-oriented, well-organized, and have good communication skills.

* Must be able to and comfortable working in laboratories, workshops, and outdoors, including in adverse weather conditions typical of California.

* Must be able to and comfortable lifting 50 pounds and occasionally engaging in strenuous physical activity in the field.

Preferred qualifications:

* Experience with building simple structures out of wood, plastic, or other materials.

* Experience with technical skills such as soldering, cutting and stripping cables, or cutting and rounding welding rods.

* Knowledge of basic field first aid.

* Bachelor’s degree or enrollment in courses in biology, environmental sciences, engineering, earth systems, or a related field.

Carnegie is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will receive consideration of employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, veteran status or any other characteristics protected by law. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse research community and we encourage applications by members of all underrepresented groups.

Please submit your application by clicking on the Apply Now box below. Please contact Andrea Nebhut at anebhut@carnegiescience.edu for details. Applications are due July 7, 2023.

Postdoctoral Opportunity: Climate, energy, impacts, adaptation, etc

Department: DGE – Global Ecology

Salary: $80,850

Location: Stanford, CA

Carnegie Institution Science Department of Global Ecology (DGE) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at its Stanford Campus. Founded in 2002, scientists at DGE conduct basic and applied research into the interactions among the Earth’s ecosystems and people. The Carnegie Institution has a deep commitment to scientific excellence and diversity;  we strongly encourage applications from candidates who will enrich and foster a culturally diverse and inclusive environment. 

Selected fellow(s) will join a highly collaborative and productive team of scientists aimed at developing information that can help address climate challenges. This work will be performed under the guidance of Dr. Ken Caldeira, a Senior Scientist with Breakthrough Energy and Senior Scientist (Emeritus) with Carnegie Institution for Science.

We have broad support for research aimed at helping humans to live sustainably on this planet in the face of climate change, but not every project need fall under this rubric. We have the ability, but not the necessity, to hire additional postdocs who will be a good fit for our group. Successful candidates will be open to addressing a wide range of issues, have good mathematical skills, have experience performing numerical simulations and/or analyzing data, be creative, and be good at completing projects. Postdoctoral Fellows typically lead projects and help out on other projects. Peer-reviewed publication of results in high-quality journals is the norm. 

Our group approaches problems from the standpoint of the physical sciences, but we consider factors such as economics and equity. We try to do stylized groundbreaking work, leaving the infilling of detail to others. Examples of recent investigations include integrated assessment modeling of the value of climate-tech innovation, solar geoengineering, macro-energy-systems modeling, climate effects of aircraft contrails, predictive skill of learning curves, and the global distribution of energy use. 

Postdoctoral Fellows at DGE have access to valuable research resources to launch successful scientific careers in academia and industry. Research resources include technical support staff, research equipment, and computing/IT resources. Opportunities to partner with other DGE scientists may also be available depending on Fellow(s)’ interests. DGE seeks to provide a culture of mentoring and professional development for all postdoctoral scientists; funding is available for travel to scientific conferences; additional professional development/training programs are offered internally.

Multiple positions are available with flexible start dates to begin within 18 months of this posting. Initial appointments are for 1 year, with possible renewal up to 4 years. Carnegie offers competitive salary and comprehensive benefits. In addition, a budget is available to partially reimburse relocation expenses for successful candidates and their immediate families.

Responsibilities: 

• Work closely and collaboratively with other scientists to design, implement, analyze and summarize innovative research to inform climate and energy decision-making;
• Publish results in high-quality, peer-reviewed journals; 
• Present results at conferences and seminars. 

Required Qualifications: 

• Ph.D. in any scientific or engineering discipline with a grounding in the physical sciences or engineering;
• Excellent mathematical skills and basic computer programming;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills;
• Evidence of ability to work independently and in teams;
• Commitment to a collegial and inclusive workplace. 

Informal inquiries and questions about these positions should be directed to Ken Caldeira (e-mail: kcaldeira@carnegiescience.edu). Applications will only be considered when submitted through our application portal (see blue bar below). Applicants are required to submit a cover letter, CV, and the names and contact information of at least three professional references. 

Carnegie is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will receive consideration of employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, veteran status or any other characteristics protected by law. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse research community and we encourage applications by members of all underrepresented groups.

Postdoctoral Research Associate: Quantifying climate impacts on inland and coastal eutrophication

Department: DGE – Global Ecology

Salary: $77,000

Location: Stanford, CA

Postdoctoral Research Associate: Quantifying climate impacts on inland and coastal eutrophication

Department: DGE – Global Ecology

Salary: TBD Competitive

Location: Stanford, CA

The Department of Global Ecology at the Carnegie Institution for Science (CIS) is seeking Postdoctoral Research Associates to contribute to research that aims to quantify climate change impacts on freshwater and coastal water quality via influences on nutrient delivery to, and on conditions within, water bodies. Our approach is highly data-driven, with a common methodological thread being the development and application of statistical approaches for optimizing the use of limited in situ and remote sensing environmental data.

There will be considerable flexibility regarding specific scientific questions to be examined, but potential areas of focus include:

• Attribution of historical water-quality trends and extreme events to climate change and variability;
• Assessment of historical and future nutrient loading, phytoplankton blooms, and hypoxia in data-poor regions;
• Development of approaches for using modern satellite-based observations for assessing global variability in lacustrine phytoplankton blooms;
• Development of partnerships with other labs on targeted field-based projects for assessing climate drivers of water quality impairments;
• Assessment of water quality management strategies in terms of their robustness to future changes in climate and, conversely, their potential climate impacts.

The position is based in Dr. Anna M. Michalak’s lab and will involve extensive collaboration with researchers at the other institutions, offering excellent opportunities for joint mentoring and career development.

The Postdoctoral Research Associate will be responsible for identifying innovative strategies for developing a quantitative basis for understanding the impacts of climate on water quality, as well as possible feedbacks with the climate system. While we are interested in site-specific studies, our long-term focus is on developing understanding that is at least in part transferable across systems, such that we can inform processes and variability in poorly sampled regions and at aggregate regional scales.

Position Duties

• Identify compelling scientific questions, design and conduct high-level research, and collaborate with other members of the Michalak Lab on topics within the broad area defined above.
• Coordinate with outside collaborators to identify key scientific opportunities and modeling strategies.
• Lead and contribute to research papers to be published in the peer reviewed literature.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in hydrology, limnology, remote sensing, earth science, or related field;
• Experience working with water quantity or quality observations at regional, continental and/or global scales;
• Experience with quantitative data analysis and modeling approaches;
• Experience exploring questions about climate and/or water quality;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

Informal inquiries about these positions can be made by emailing Anna Michalak at michalak@carnegiescience.edu.  Formal applications for employment must be submitted by clicking on the bar below, and must include a cover letter, CV, and list of at least three references.

The review of applications will begin immediately and the position will remain open until it is filled. Compensation is competitive and will be commensurate with work experience and skills.