Postdoctoral Fellow Position: Modeling climate and wildfire interactions The Harvard Forest invites applications for a post-doctoral researcher to work with Dr. Jonathan Thompson. The successful candidate will contribute to a multi-institutional project, funded by the National Science Foundation, working to understand the potential for climate change to force a critical transition from a stable forest-dominated landscape to a stable shrub-dominated landscape within the Klamath region of Oregon and California. The researcher will utilize the LANDIS-II (www.landis-ii.org) succession and disturbance modeling framework to simulate climate change effects on wildfire regimes and vegetation dynamics, thereby projecting the potential for and mechanisms driving a critical transition. There is an expectation that the research will make significant contributions in theoretical and applied ecology. Learn more here: http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/sites/harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/fi les/jthomps/Thompson_etal_NSF_Klamath.pdf
Work Location: The post-doc will be based at Harvard Forest in Petersham, Massachusetts Required Qualifications: Ph.D. (awarded by start date) in forest ecology, forestry, geography, or related field; Capable of conducting complex spatial analyses (e.g. landscape simulation, GIS, remote sensing, and spatial statistics); Experience with simulation modeling of large data; Skilled at scripting within the R and/or Python programming languages; Evidence of strong scholarship, including peer-reviewed publications; Proven ability to plan and conduct independent research projects from beginning to end. Preferred Experience: Prior use of LANDIS or other forest succession and disturbance models; experience modeling wildfire using BFOLDS, FARSITE, or other fire behavior or spread models; Appointment: Review of applications will begin on 11/15/2014. There is flexibility around the start date, but not past April 2015. Initial appointment of one year is renewable for up to an additional 1.5 years based on performance. Salary: $44000 plus health insurance benefits through Harvard University To apply: Send CV, PDFs of relevant publications, and the names and contact info for three references to Jonathan Thompson: jtho...@fas.harvard.edu Harvard Forest, an internationally recognized center for basic and applied research in ecology, conservation and ecosystem studies, with 40 full-time staff is one of 26 Long Term Ecological Research sites across the country sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The Forest facilities include a research and administrative complex, 3500 acres of land, and residential buildings. The Forest is located in Petersham, a small rural town in north central Massachusetts about 70 miles west of Cambridge. For more information, visit http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu.
