Postdoc positions - landscape modeling

[Marilyn Walker]

Attached are 2 different postdoc positions in landscape ecology and
modeling. Please reply directly to the addresses given for each ad.

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATE - University of Colorado
VEGETATION MODELING AND GLOBAL CHANGE IN ARCTIC ECOSYSTEMS

We seek a recent graduate with expertise in species or life-form based
vegetation modeling to participate in an interdisciplinary project
examining relationships among global changes, human communities, policy,
and ecological processes. The project is funded by the National Science
Foundation Human Dimensions of the Arctic Program. The role of the
vegetation modeler is to work with the investigators, and with other
project scientists at the University of Alaska and the National Biological
Service, to develop a model of regional species composition and biomass
change that operates on an annual to decadal time scale, and to apply the
model to existing ARC/INFO databases of the range of the Porcupine Caribou
Herd in northern Alaska and Canada. Minimal data on physiology of
individual plant species are available, so the challenge is to develop a
parsimonious approach using distributional data and life history traits.
This project represents a unique opportunity to work at the interface
between ecology and policy (including local policy and decision making
within arctic villages), and the candidate will be challenged to think
beyond traditional ecosystem and vegetation modeling paradigms. The right
candidate may have the option to spend part of her or his effort on
integration of component models (vegetation, caribou, climate, policy, and
household and village economics) into a simplified "village model".
Excellent programming and quantitative skills are essential. In the second
year of the project, the model will be made spatially explicit by
application to an existing ARC/INFO database, so experience with ARC/INFO
or ARCView is desirable. Experience in landscape ecology, computer
visualization techniques, vegetation analysis, climate analysis, and global
change studies will be viewed favorably.

The position is funded for two years; the initial appointment is for one
year. Principal investigators for the project are Dr. Marilyn Walker,
University of Colorado, Dr. Anthony Starfield, University of Minnesota -
St. Paul, and Dr. Terry Chapin, University of California - Berkeley. The
PRA will be an employee of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research,
University of Colorado Boulder, but must be willing to travel extensively
among the three institutions and to interact with all investigators.

The position begins approximately January 1997. To apply, submit a letter
of interest, curriculum vitae, and two letters of reference to Dr. Marilyn
Walker, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado,
Boulder, CO, 80309-0450. Electronic submissions can be sent to
Marilyn...@colorado.edu. Screening of candidates will begin 1 November
1996 and will continue until a suitable applicant is found.

The University of Colorado is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applications
from minorities and women are encouraged.

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POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATE - University of Minnesota

MODELING THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN CLIMATE CHANGE AND TREELINE MOVEMENT IN
THE ALASKAN ARCTIC

We seek a recent graduate to help develop, test and exercise dynamic
computer models on a spatial scale of thousands of km2 and a temporal scale
of hundreds of years. The purpose of this endeavor is to explore the
transient response of treeline movement to climate change coupled with the
likely feedback, in turn, from treeline movement to climate change in the
Alaskan Arctic. The challenge in this project is to identify the key
variables and processes at these scales, to find a useful paradigm for
modeling at these scales, and to look for evidence to support our
assumptions and conclusions.

The postion is funded for three years. The Principal Investigator for the
project is Dr Anthony Starfield and the PRA will be based in the Dept of
Ecology, Evolution & Behavior at the University of Minnesota. Dr Terry
Chapin at the University of California, Berkeley, is a key collaborator.
Dr John Walsh (University of Illinois, Urbana), Dr Linda Brubaker
(University of Washington) and Dr Glen MacDonald (University of California,
Los Angeles) are also involved in the project. The PRA will therefore have
extensive opportunities for travel and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The skills we seek in a PRA are:
(1) Programming competence in a language such as Visual Basic, Pascal or
Delphi.
(2) The ability to manipulate and analyze large data sets.
(3) Modeling experience, with the ability to think clearly about different
modeling paradigms and how they match different modeling objectives.
(4) Experience in using Geographic Information Systems.
(5) The ability to interact constructively with scientists in different
disciplines.
(6) Independence, initiative, imagination and process-oriented, logical
thinking.

A background in dynamic modeling and/or landscape or vegetation ecology is
desirable, but our emphasis is on the above skills rather than background
per se. We recognize we are unlikely to find a candidate with all of the
above skills; we are looking for a PRA who has some of the skills plus the
ability and interest to develop with the project.

The position begins around January 1997 or possibly earlier. To apply,
submit a letter of interest, a curriculum vita and two letters of
recommendation to Dr Anthony Starfield, Dept of Ecology, Evolution &
Behavior, 100 Ecology, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, St Paul MN 55108. Dr
Starfield can also be contacted via e-mail at star...@maroon.tc.umn.edu.
Screening of candidates will begin early in November 1996 and will continue
until a suitable applicant is found.

The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

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Dr. Marilyn Walker Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research
mwa...@taimyr.colorado.edu Campus Box 450
http://spot.colorado.edu/~mwalker University of Colorado
Phone: 303-492-5276 Boulder, CO 80309-0450
FAX: 303-492-6388