Postdoc opportunity: climate, hydrology, and resilient cropping systems

[Andrew James McDonald]

Colleagues

 

We have a new postdoctoral fellowship opportunity at the nexus of climate, hydrology, and resilient cropping systems.  The position is focused on US agriculture and is part of a collaboration between the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Cornell University. 

 

 

Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellowship – Resilient Agriculture

 

https://www.edf.org/jobs/atkinson-postdoctoral-fellow-resilient-agriculture

 

The Fellow will work closely with the agricultural teams at EDF and Cornell and will report directly to the co-P.I.’s (Dr. Eileen McLellan at EDF and Dr. Andrew McDonald at Cornell). They will use downscaled climate data together with crop and hydrologic models to identify (i) U.S. cropping systems at greatest near-to mid-term risk (i.e., through mid-century) of drought, or heat-induced crop failure from climate change, and (ii) priority locations where crop diversification or changes in cropping intensity will benefit food production, farmer income and the environment. The Fellow will then work with EDF experts in finance, business, policy and social transformations to articulate transition pathways for these priority locations, including identifying potential drivers of systemic change to accelerate transformation. We anticipate that the Fellow will lead the writing of two or more peer-reviewed publications related to this work, and will make significant contributions to white papers, policy briefs and other materials used in our advocacy work.

Key Responsibilities

Specific tasks will include, but are not limited to:

·         Assemble down-scaled climate and hydrologic data.

·         Couple climatic information with dynamic crop models to evaluate the impact of anticipated changes on crop yield, yield variability, water resources and (in some cases) crop quality.

·         Identify adaptation opportunities for specific crop-region combinations, with an emphasis on alternative crops which would be more resilient to climate change that could be produced without negative impacts to farm income and rural economies, and would avoid or moderate environmental externalities (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions, water quality, habitat loss).

·         Evaluate transition pathways to alternative cropping systems, including time-scale for action, enabling factors, and constraints to adoption.

·         Write papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals, and presenting project results at scientific workshops and conferences.

·         Contribute to white papers, reports, fact sheets, policy briefs and blogs on the importance of adaptation, crop- and region-specific adaptation options, and pathways to agricultural system transitions.

·         Nurture ties to the broader research communities through formal presentations, hosting/participation in workshops, informal contacts etc.

·         Participate in the EDF-Cornell Sustainability Leadership Program for post-doctoral fellows and other professional development opportunities.

·         Participate in advancing EDF’s DEI goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address the environmental and organizational challenges in alignment with EDF values.

Qualifications

·         A recent Ph.D. in agro-climatology, process-based agronomy, crop systems ecology, or related area.

·         Strong analytical skills, including demonstrated experience with dynamic models of the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, data-driven analytics, and spatial modelling. 

·         Experience with statistical computing (e.g. R or Python).

·         Demonstrated record of scholarly publications.

·         Interest in expanding expertise to new areas, and to the science-policy interface

·         Ability to work with and communicate effectively with both scientists and non-scientists.

·         Aptitude and inclination towards creative problem solving with transdisciplinary approaches.

·         Must be well organized, motivated, and detail-oriented.

·         Ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines.

·         Ability to work in a team setting and have the ability to work independently when projects are due.

·         Demonstrated self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.

 

-- 

Andrew McDonald

Associate Professor, Global Cropping Systems -  Soil and Crop Sciences

School of Integrative Plant Science and the Department of Global Development

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University

Contact:

1114 Bradfield Hall

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY 14853 USA

e-mail: aj...@cornell.edu; tele: +1 607 279-1873

web (Systems Agronomy @ CU):  https://blogs.cornell.edu/sys-agro/