Position Summary Nora Underwood (https://www.bio.fsu.edu/~nunderwood/homepage/) and Brian Inouye (https://www.bio.fsu.edu/faculty.php?faculty-id=bdinouye) are seeking a postdoc to work on insect-mediated effects of plant neighborhoods on plant fitness and competition. Members of the Underwood and Inouye labs study the population and community ecology and evolution of plants and insects and interactions between phenology and climate. This postdoc will be supported by our current NSF-funded project studying how associational effects (effects of neighboring plants on each other’s herbivory or pollination) influence population and community level processes. This project includes a combination of field experiments with native old-field plants and development of spatially-explicit theory and is based in the Ecology and Evolution Group at Florida State University (https://www.bio.fsu.edu/ee/) and is a collaborative venture with Stacey Halpern (http://www.pacificu.edu/as/biology/faculty/halpern.cfm) at Pacific University.
This position includes the option of training in teaching as well as research. Our NSF project includes funding for the postdoc to teach at Pacific University for one semester with mentorship from Dr. Halpern, to gain experience as an instructor of record at a primarily undergraduate institution. In addition, FSU has a Teaching Postdoctoral Fellowship program (https://opda.fsu.edu/awards-and-fellowships/nih-fsu-postdoctoral-fellowships/teaching-postdoctoral-fellows) which could supplement funding from NSF, the broader impacts activities of our NSF funded project involve curriculum development for uses of K-12 school gardens in teaching biology. Responsibilities The successful candidate for this position will assist with planned experiments in the field in North Florida, mentor undergraduate researchers, conduct statistical analyses, collaborate on writing papers and develop independent research related to the project. Individuals with interest and appropriate skills could work on development of theory for this project. Individuals with interest in teaching could combine research with mentored teaching in this position. How to Apply Email a CV, a cover letter (describing your research interests, how you might contribute to this project, and how this position relates to your long-term research goals) and the names and contact information for three references to Nora Underwood (nunderw...@bio.fsu.edu). If you are interested in the teaching fellowship please include a brief statement of why the teaching/research fellowship interests you. Review of applications will begin on October 1 and continue until the position is filled. Florida State University is an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer. Required Qualifications PhD (by start date) with research training in ecology and/or evolutionary biology, strong quantitative and analytical skills, the ability to work in R, experience carrying out field experiments with plants and/or insects, and concrete ideas for relevant theoretical or empirical work in our research system. The ability to work independently and as a team, and to communicate effectively is required. Desired (but not required) Qualifications Experience in mathematical modeling and/or spatial statistics. For those interested in training in teaching, experience as instructor of record and/or a history of demonstrated interest and training in teaching. Other information Preference will be given to applicants who can start by late-spring 2019, though later start dates could be possible. Funding is available for at least two years, contingent on satisfactory progress in year one. The salary for the position starts at $47,500 per year plus benefits. We strongly encourage applications from individuals with diverse backgrounds.
