Join Our Lab - Open Positions
The Department of Global Ecology, founded in 2002 on the campus of Stanford University, conducts basic and applied research into the interactions among Earth’s ecosystems, land, atmosphere, oceans, and people with a goal of informing the sustainability of the Earth system. Department faculty members, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, undergraduate students, technical and administrative staff work to understand how our planet operates, and how it will respond to future changes. We place a particular focus on research questions that will have a substantial impact on our ability to manage the Earth system, and that have a high likelihood of leading to breakthroughs on timescales that are compatible with the urgency of the climate, biodiversity, energy, and food security crises facing our planet.
There are two open positions in the Michalak Lab. Please see the descriptions below:
Job: Postdoctoral Fellows: Land-surface modeling
Researchers at the Carnegie Institution for Science are seeking up to three creative, collaborative postdoctoral scholars to advance understanding of land-surface mediated Earth system feedbacks. These fellows will be part of the soon-to-be-launched MC³ 4 Earth Center, a collaborative joint center bringing together the Carnegie Institution for Science, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, California Institute of Technology, and Columbia University.
The MC³ 4 Earth Center is dedicated to redefining the frontiers in modeling, analyzing, and predicting the complex dynamics of Earth’s land surfaces and their interactions within the broader climate system. We emphasize the integration of process-based models with empirical constraints from advanced in situ and spaceborne Earth observations. Our commitment extends to training the next generation of Earth scientists, equipping them with state-of-the-art computing skills (including ML and AI), coupled with comprehensive knowledge of land surface processes, for them to become leaders and innovators in this critical field.
Successful candidates will work with Carnegie Global Ecology faculty engaged in the MC³ 4 Earth center (Drs. Joe Berry, Jeff Dukes, Anna Michalak, Lorenzo Rosa) as well as collaborators at the other center institutions to dramatically enhance our capabilities in analyzing, modeling, and forecasting the dynamics of Earth’s land surface. Fellows will design and conduct cutting-edge research, publish results in peer-reviewed journals, and present results at scientific conferences. Fellows will be based on-site in Carnegie’s Global Ecology building, on the campus of Stanford University.
We anticipate that Fellows will be co-mentored across at least two of the Carnegie research groups engaged in the MC³ 4 Earth center. There will be flexibility regarding scientific questions to be studied within the broad scope of the center and the diverse interests of the participating faculty, and especially the creative insight of the fellows.
Postdoctoral Fellows at Carnegie have access to valuable research resources to launch successful scientific careers in academic, private sector, or government positions. Research resources include technical support staff, research equipment, and computing/IT resources. We seek to provide a culture of mentoring and professional development for all postdoctoral scientists; additional professional development/training programs are offered internally.
Responsibilities:
- Work closely and collaboratively with other scientists to design, implement, analyze and summarize innovative research;
- Publish results in high-quality, peer-reviewed journals;
- Present results at conferences and seminars.
Required Qualifications:
- Ph.D. in any scientific or engineering discipline with a grounding in ecology, hydrology, earth and environmental science, or related field;
- Excellent written and oral communication skills;
- Strong quantitative analysis skills;
- Evidence of ability to work independently and in teams;
- Commitment to a collegial and inclusive workplace.
Multiple positions are available with flexible start dates in 2024. Although initial appointments are for one year, the positions are renewable and postdocs in the group usually stay for two to three years. Carnegie offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits.
Please click the "Apply here" link below to learn more about this position and the application process.
Postdoctoral Research Associate: Quantifying climate impacts on inland and coastal eutrophication
The Department of Global Ecology at the Carnegie Institution for Science (CIS) is seeking Postdoctoral Research Associates to contribute to research that aims to quantify climate change impacts on freshwater and coastal water quality via influences on nutrient delivery to, and on conditions within, water bodies. Our approach is highly data-driven, with a common methodological thread being the development and application of statistical approaches for optimizing the use of limited in situ and remote sensing environmental data.
There will be considerable flexibility regarding specific scientific questions to be examined, but potential areas of focus include:
Attribution of historical water-quality trends and extreme events to climate change and variability;
- Assessment of historical and future nutrient loading, phytoplankton blooms, and hypoxia in data-poor regions;
- Development of approaches for using modern satellite-based observations for assessing global variability in lacustrine phytoplankton blooms;
- Development of partnerships with other labs on targeted field-based projects for assessing climate drivers of water quality impairments;
- Assessment of water quality management strategies in terms of their robustness to future changes in climate and, conversely, their potential climate impacts.
The position is based in Dr. Anna M. Michalak’s lab and will involve extensive collaboration with researchers at the other institutions, offering excellent opportunities for joint mentoring and career development.
The Postdoctoral Research Associate will be responsible for identifying innovative strategies for developing a quantitative basis for understanding the impacts of climate on water quality, as well as possible feedbacks with the climate system. While we are interested in site-specific studies, our long-term focus is on developing understanding that is at least in part transferable across systems, such that we can inform processes and variability in poorly sampled regions and at aggregate regional scales.
Position Duties
- Identify compelling scientific questions, design and conduct high-level research, and collaborate with other members of the Michalak Lab on topics within the broad area defined above.
- Coordinate with outside collaborators to identify key scientific opportunities and modeling strategies.
- Lead and contribute to research papers to be published in the peer reviewed literature.
Requirements
- Ph.D. in hydrology, limnology, remote sensing, earth science, or related field;
- Experience working with water quantity or quality observations at regional, continental and/or global scales;
- Experience with quantitative data analysis and modeling approaches;
- Experience exploring questions about climate and/or water quality;
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Please click the "Apply here" link below to learn more about this position and the application process.