Pantropical Vegetation Dynamics Postdoctoral Fellow

About the role

The Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division at Berkeley Lab seeks a Pantropical Vegetation Dynamics Postdoctoral Fellow to combine observational synthesis, ecological theory, and numerical models to explore the dynamics of tropical forests responding and feeding back to climate. The position is part of the NGEE-Tropics project, a long-term, DOE-funded effort to bring together observational and theoretical approaches to build, inform, and test the representation of tropical forests within Earth system models.

Responsibilities

• Run and test the ELM-FATES (E3SM Land Model configured to include the Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator) against multiple observational datasets at site to pantropical scales
• Apply ecological and plant physiological theory to explore mechanistic process controls and plant trait variation on ecosystem structure and the large-scale exchange of carbon, water and energy for tropical forests
• Analyze complex datasets with the NGEE-Tropics data team, including eddy covariance, forest census, plant ecophysiology, remote sensing, land use/land cover change
• Investigate land-atmosphere feedbacks at time scales ranging from hourly to centennial, including under a range of climate and land use change scenarios
• Publish results in high-quality journals and contribute to proposals involving tropical biosphere-atmosphere interactions
• Participate and present results in meetings and conferences

Requirements

• PhD in relevant field (e.g. climate science, ecology, plant physiology, forestry, geography)
• Background in data intensive processing and analysis using open-source code (e.g., Python, R)
• Demonstrated proficiency in code documentation and reproducibility, and collaboration platforms (e.g., GitHub, Jupyter Notebook, R Markdown)
• An ability to understand and write land surface model code (e.g., FORTRAN) and interest in the application and testing of state-of-the-art land-surface models and/or Earth system models
• Record of publishing research in peer-reviewed journals
• Desire to work within an integrated, multi-institution team whose activities span from field research to Earth system model development

Qualifications

• Solid background in ecological, plant physiological, and biogeochemical theory
• Desired Skills/Knowledge: Field experience or other backgrounds working in tropical forests

Skills

• Ability to understand and write land surface model code (e.g., FORTRAN)
• Interest in the application and testing of state-of-the-art land-surface models and/or Earth system models

Benefits

• Exceptional health and retirement benefits, including pension or 401K-style plans
• Culture where you'll belong - invested in our teams!
• Parental bonding leave (for both mothers and fathers)
• Winter Holiday Shutdown every year
• Work primarily at: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA

Pay

$6,573 - $8,921 monthly

Schedule

Full-time, 2 year, postdoctoral appointment with the possibility of renewal based upon satisfactory job performance, continuing availability of funds and ongoing operational needs. You must have less than 3 years of paid postdoctoral experience.