We are requesting informal statements of interest for the following positions in Plant Ecology at the USGS in Boise, focusing on the topic of restoration ecology in sagebrush steppe and offering a rich experience working with a dynamic and engaging team of researchers and land managers in the Great Basin.
Unprecedented opportunities exist to advance restoration, monitoring techniques, and basic scientific understanding regarding fire, invasives, resistance, and resilience of shrub steppe. Focal areas include soil stability/erosion, sagebrush recovery, exotic annual grasses, grazing effects, relationships of perennial and annual grasses, herbicide and drill seeding effects, and climate and weather impacts. Well replicated and spatially extensive data sets are available to answer key theoretical and practical questions regarding these topics, and the positions will assist with designing and implementing additional studies and sampling. One of the projects focuses on the 2015 Soda Wildfire in SW Idaho and Western Oregon (285,000 acres across a wide elevation range). Many land treatments have and are been applied in an adaptive management fashion over a 5 year period. Plant and soil variables are being measured over 2500 sampling plots across the burn area by a large interagency team led by USGS. Another project focuses on sagebrush recovery and post-fire treatment effects in many treatments applied across a large area of the Great Basin. The position(s) will be at the GS 11 / 12 grade requiring a MS or preferably PhD in Ecology or related fields, and a record of leading peer reviewed publications on the topics. The pay rates for GS11 step one is $~59K/yr, GS12 step 1 is $71K/yr, and fringe benefits add an additional 35% compensation. The position will assist in guiding monitoring and sampling in a scientifically defensible manner, performing analyses including Bayesian statistics in an adaptive learning context, and preparing reports and manuscripts on outcomes with the team. An official job ad is anticipated soon. Only US citizens can be considered. Please feel free to email "germmatt *at* isu.edu" with your preliminary interest in the position so that we can forward the official job ad to you when it is posted.
