Dear List, This postdoctoral position will support a novel, hemisphere-‐wide analysis of the phylogenetic, taxonomic, and functional diversity of tetrapods. The project will examine relationships among the three dimensions of biodiversity, and, by using extinction risk data, predict impending changes in these relationships. These analyses have important practical implications because the degree to which the dimensions covary will determine if each dimension will be equally conserved. Our PI institutions comprise four universities and NatureServe, the latter of which provides a channel for incorporation of results into conservation decisions. The project is described further at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=122098 Specifically, the postdoc will be responsible for varied data analyses of both spatial and tabular data, often involving extensive lists of species from throughout the Americas. This work may include measuring compositional diversity by developing species distribution models from specimen point localities and remotely sensed environmental data, and mapping dissimilarity. Another aspect is measuring trait diversity using categorical metrics of place, food, time, and metabolic niches. The work may also include disseminated data via open access databases. Finally, the postdoc will take the lead in writing manuscripts reporting on the results of the research. The position will be located at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte in the city of Natal, northeast Brazil under the guidance of Dr. Gabriel Costa (https://sites.google.com/site/costagc99). The successful candidate is expected to spend 2 months per year at the Department of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, under the guidance of Dr. Catherine Graham (http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/ee/grahamlab).
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: The tasks, duties, and responsibilities of the position are as follows: a) Perform statistical and spatial analyses of large distribution and trait data sets. b) Collaborate and interact with multidisciplinary team of senior scientists, post-‐docs, and graduate and undergraduate students to carry out the objectives of the project. c) Write manuscripts describing the results of the research. The essential job functions listed above are not meant to be all-‐inclusive and may be subject to change at any time. REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS: The successful candidate will have the following experience and qualifications: a) Ph.D. in Ecology, Environmental Biology, or related field. b) Experience with a variety of statistical analyses. c) Experience with GIS/RS and spatial analyses. d) Proven record of senior-‐authored papers, preferably in high-‐impact journals. e) Ability to collaborate and share data effectively on a multi-‐institutional project. PREFERRED EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS: a) Experience with R language b) Proficiency in remote sensing. c) Advanced statistical or mathematical modeling. d) Experience with large databases. e) Experience with phylogenetic and comparative methods. f) Ability to communicate in Spanish and/or Portuguese. g) Experience coordinating or working with undergraduate assistants. ESSENTIAL PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS a) Availability to move to Natal, Brazil for nine months of the year and to relocate to Stony Brook, NY for two months of the year. b) Ability to converse verbally and in writing with others regarding organizational goals and needs. c) Ability to use organizational technology and multi-‐phone systems. APPLICATION DEADLINE Review of applications begins Monday, 10 December 2012. Position start date: Monday, 21 January 2013. This is a one-‐year postdoc, with the possibility of extending for up to two additional years contingent upon performance. To apply for this position please send CV, cover letter, and list of three references to [email protected] ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The University UFRN is funded by the federal government -‐ as most of the major Universities in Brazil. It has around 33,000 students. Most of the University is concentrated in the main campus, which is easily accessible by public transportation. Our department is Botany, Ecology and Zoology. Recently, the government started a program of expansion of the University system, creating new campus, expanding the number of students, majors, graduate programs etc. As a result the University grew a lot in the past few years. Three years ago our Department had 14 faculty members, now we have 31. We have a lot of young and energetic faculty. The Ecology group of our department is splitting to its own department and there is a building under construction to accommodate the new department. We are expecting to move to this new building by July 2013. The Costa Lab We are broadly interested in Macroecology, Biogeography, Community Ecology and Evolutionary Ecology. We work mainly with reptiles and amphibians in South American drylands, these are non-‐ forested ecosystem that run across the continent and are bordered by forested formation, in the Northwest by the Amazon forest and in the Southeast by the Atlantic Forest. This is where we do most of our fieldwork. We are currently studying patterns of species distribution (richness and endemism), community assembly and diversification (community phylogeography) in this region. Although we work mainly with reptiles and amphibians we try to be more question oriented than organismal, and we welcome students and postdocs that work with different groups of organisms. In the lab, we have 4 graduate students, 2 in the PhD program and 2 in the Masters program. One of the PhD students will be working with a functional trait project related to the NSF Dimensions grant and will work closely with the postdoc on this grant. Another postdoc will be joining the lab in the spring 2013 and we expect frequent visits from postdocs and graduate students from Stony Brook in the next few years. For more information please see https://sites.google.com/site/costagc99. Salary and cost of living The postdoc salary is 3,700 reais per month (~1,900 US$), in Brazil the postdoc salary is considered a fellowship and is fixed by the granting agency, the postdoc salary is tax-‐free. Good apartments close to the University can be for less than 1,000 reais. Considering bills and fees you can probably have a very good place with around 1,500 reais. The rest of living costs are comparable to US in terms of groceries, restaurants, transportation, etc. Some things are much cheaper in Brazil than in the US such as fruits and vegetables some things are much cheaper in US especially electronics, appliances etc. The postdoc salary is certainly enough to live well and comfortably in Natal. We have funds available to cover for relocation expenses, pay for travel to Stony Brook and to attend international conferences. Language and Culture Not knowing Portuguese is not a major problem. Most people in the University will be able to speak English. Natal is a very touristic city and receives many foreigners so there will be lots of places, like restaurants, bars etc, where people working there would know English. But do not expect that the average citizen in the street will know English. If you know Spanish this will help a bit, but Portuguese is very different. The University has a program with different courses of different levels of Portuguese for Foreigners that you could take. Learning Portuguese would help a lot to feel comfortable living here. You can find some useful information about the city in this wiki entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natal,_Rio_Grande_do_Norte
