The Nature Conservancy is pleased to solicit applications for the NatureNet Science Fellows program, a trans-disciplinary postdoctoral fellowship program aimed at bridging academic excellence and conservation practice to confront climate change.
The Nature Conservancy recognizes climate change as the single greatest threat to our mission, and to humanity. Never before has there been an issue that so tightly integrates the health of the planet with the economy, food production, clean, reliable water, health, and equality. The NatureNet Science Fellows program seeks to bring leading early career scientists and engineers from diverse fields into the realm of problem solving at the interface of climate change, technology, and conservation. This program drives research to tackle the two overarching challenges of climate change: Theme 1: Halting Climate Change The majority of projected climate change impacts can be avoided, if we act quickly and aggressively towards a low-carbon energy system. Getting there will require major new advances in the science and engineering behind energy technology -- from storage, improved efficiency, and transmission, to new source development--and in how we deploy all energy sources--from encouraging major energy source shifts to siting and operating new infrastructure with minimal environmental impact. Fellows may tackle these challenges from the fields of physics, chemistry, landscape planning, electrical engineering, biology, nanotechnology, political science, meteorology, waste management, computer science, energy technology, geography, or transport engineering. Theme 2: Adapting to Climate Change Climate change is already happening, and current levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere have already locked the planet into significant climate disruption. The NatureNet program supports research that will identify new means for reducing these impacts and improving the ability of both nature and people to adapt. Relevant challenges will be addressed by fellows from fields as wide ranging as coral biology, agricultural technology, political economics, coastal geomorphology, ecology, forestry, water and sanitation health, climatology, environmental toxicology, agronomy, irrigation engineering, animal husbandry, fisheries, or coastal engineering. Fellows will work with a Nature Conservancy mentor and a hosting senior scholar (or scholars) from one of the NatureNet partner universities to develop a research program. The joint mentorship model is unique, and additional training is provided in science communication and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Fellows spend up to two weeks each year in science communications training and intensive collaboration and problem-solving opportunities. The program is run in partnership with a diversity of universities that represent traditional and non-traditional disciplines relevant to conservation science. Applicants must identify one university as their home institution, but are encouraged to suggest collaborations with additional universities and institutions if those collaborations will greatly enhance the research. This year’s participating universities are: - Arizona State University - Center for Biodiversity Outcomes - Brown University - Institute at Brown for Environment and Society - Columbia University - The Earth Institute - Cornell University - Atkinson Center for Sustainable Futures - Princeton University - Princeton Environmental Institute - University of California - Los Angeles - Institute of Environment and Sustainability - University of Pennsylvania - Yale University The Conservancy expects fellow appointments to start between July 1 and September 1, 2016. Eligible individuals will have completed their doctorate within the past five years. Applicants who have not yet completed their doctorate must clearly indicate on the application the date the degree is expected. Each fellow will receive a non-negotiable annual salary of $50,000 plus benefits, with the postdoctoral position expected to run for two consecutive years. In addition to the stipend, each fellow receives an annual travel budget of approximately $5,000 and an annual research fund of approximately $20,000. Applications must be submitted by October 31, 2015 to Dr. Katie Dietrich at naturenetscie...@tnc.org. In the subject line of the e-mail place your last name and the host university. Submit the following materials: 1. Cover letter and research proposal (2 pages). Applicants should describe experience and suitability for the program through a brief research proposal. Unlike a standard cover letter, this proposal should highlight a research question of interest, the research approach and methods, the scientific significance, and significance to The Nature Conservancy and action-oriented research. The proposal should illustrate the strengths of the applicant’s experience towards developing and implementing this research. 2. Curriculum Vitae or resume. 3. Letters of recommendation. Arrange to have three letters of reference submitted to naturenetscie...@tnc.org with only your name in the subject line. Accepted candidates will be notified by January 31, 2016. Funds are available for fellows to start on approximately July 1, 2016.
