Postdoctoral Associate 

Job Description

A postdoctoral associate with a passion for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in conservation and/or life science to conduct research to inform how three ornithological societies can facilitate culture change in ornithology. The postdoctoral associate will be mentored by Dr. Dayer (conservation social scientist) at Virginia Tech and be part of her dynamic lab, collaborate closely with PI Dr. Shizuka at University of Nebraska – Lincoln, as well as part of a project team of ornithologists passionate about fostering DEIB. Virginia Tech values diversity and continually strives to maintain and promote an inclusive learning and research environment that embrace all students, faculty, and staff. We are particularly interested in applications from persons identifying with groups currently underrepresented in natural resources fields, including but not limited to Black, Indigenous, people of color, people with disabilities, and underrepresented genders and sexual identities. This would include cis women, trans women, trans men, non-binary people, and those who are otherwise marginalized.

The project is a two-year project funded by the National Science Foundation’s Leading Cultural Change Through Professional Societies of Biology (BIO-LEAPS). We are working with American Ornithology Society, Wilson Ornithological Society, and Association for Field Ornithologists. Through social science research and a transformative resilience framework, the project will design a process for co-creating cross-society affinity groups (identity-based groups created by and for members from historically excluded communities). Methods will include surveys of ornithological society members (quantitative) and focus groups and interactive workshops (qualitative) to develop a plan for a future implementation phase of the project. The ultimate goal is to transform ornithology into an inclusive discipline that leverages the talents of the diverse communities of learners, scientists, and practitioners to solve urgent problems in ecology, conservation, and environmental justice.

The postdoctoral associate will: 1) Coordinate project logistics; 2) Design and implement membership surveys of 3 ornithological societies to assess diversity and determine interest in affinity groups; 3) Focus group with an existing ornithological society affinity groups; 4) Work with the PI and Co-PI to develop and implement workshops to co-design affinity groups; 5) Lead the writing of an evidence-based plan to be presented for community feedback at the North American Ornithological Conference in 2025; 6) Mentor undergraduate student interns; 7) Publish peer-reviewed articles; 8) Communicate results at conferences and webinars; 9) Be an active member of the Dayer Lab and a growing post-doc community in the Global Change Center; and 10) Be mentored to gain diverse and marketable skills (e.g., grant-writing, student mentoring) following a Postdoc Mentoring Plan.

Required Qualifications

  • Ph.D. in conservation social science, natural resources, multi-cultural studies or other field related to the project. PhD must be awarded no more than three years prior to the effective date of appointment with a minimum of two years eligibility remaining.
  • Knowledge of social science (e.g., psychology, sociology) concepts, principles, and qualitative and quantitative methods sufficient to contribute to project design, data collection, and data analysis.
  • Demonstrated skills in collaborating with others on teams to accomplish shared objectives.
  • Research experience related to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and/or justice.
  • Excellent communication skills and organizational skills.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience in project coordination and management of complex projects involving multiple stakeholders, researchers and/or partners.
  • Experience with workshop or focus group facilitation.
  • Experience communicating scientific results and methods to conservation professionals.
  • Experience mentoring students or interns.
  • Expertise in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging program design
  • Familiarity with science co-production approaches.
  • Experience with ornithological or ecological societies

Salary Information

Salary Range of $50,000 – $56,000

Review Date

03/16/2023 

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

View and apply to this job listing here: https://careers.pageuppeople.com/968/cw/en-us/job/524672/postdoctoral-associate

Postdoctoral Associate 

Job Description

A postdoctoral associate with a passion for conservation science and/or social-ecological science is sought to contribute to a 3-year social-ecological study of sea level rise and land use decisions. The postdoctoral associate will be co-mentored by Drs. Ashley Dayer (social scientist) and Elizabeth Hunter (ecologist) at Virginia Tech and be part of their dynamic labs, as well as part of a project team with a remote sensing professor and PhD student. The university values diversity and continually strives to maintain and promote an inclusive learning and research environment that embrace all students, faculty, and staff. We are particularly interested in applications from persons identifying with groups currently underrepresented in natural resources fields, including but not limited to Black, Indigenous, people of color, people with disabilities, and underrepresented genders. This would include cis women, trans women, trans men, non-binary people, and those who are otherwise marginalized.

The research project is funded by the NASA Land-cover and Land-use Change program. We are studying sea level rise in mid-Atlantic coastal landscapes, especially agricultural and forestry lands, as linked socio-ecological systems. Specifically, we are exploring the interplay of ecological responses to SLR and human decision-making and whether natural ecosystems (e.g., marshes, tidal flats) will migrate upslope as a response to SLR. This postdoctoral associate will focus on the component of the project understanding how coastal landowner decisions on working lands may influence land cover of natural ecosystems. We will conduct targeted surveys to identify how the degree of change influences behaviors and decisions, as well as what other factors modulate or constrain those decisions (e.g., tax rates, market value for products). We will integrate both components (remote sensing model and analyses of landowner behaviors and decisions) in a predictive agent-based model (ABM). We will create scenarios of SLR and economic pressures on landowners and project ABM estimates of relationships between landcover and landowner decisions to predict the type and degree of landcover change. By making these social-ecological connections, we will be able to make better predictions of how land cover will change as a function both of direct SLR impacts and human responses to them.

The postdoctoral associate will: 1) Coordinate project logistics and team activities; 2) Design and lead qualitative and quantitative social science research; 3) Support other research activities in the projects as needed & aligned with the postdoc’s skills and interests (e.g., social-ecological predictive modeling); 4) Mentor undergraduate and graduate students; 5) Publish peer-reviewed articles; 6) Communicate activities and results throughout the project to the coastal conservation community ; and 7) Be an active member of the Hunter and Dayer Labs and a growing post-doc community in the Global Change Center.

The position requires travel to conduct field work in coastal areas of the East Coast of the US and conferences in the US and internationally.

Required Qualifications

  • Ph.D. in natural resources; social-ecological sciences; social sciences related to conservation, natural resources, and/or wildlife management; or ecological science. PhD must be awarded no more than four years prior to the effective date of appointment with a minimum of one year eligibility remaining.
  • Knowledge of social science (e.g., psychology, sociology) concepts, principles, and methods as applied to wildlife or other natural resource management sufficient to contribute to project design, data analysis and science communication.
  • Demonstrated skills in collaborating with others on teams to accomplish shared objectives.
  • Excellent communication skills and organizational skills.
  • Experience writing peer-reviewed publications.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience in project coordination and management.
  • Experience communicating scientific results and methods to conservation professionals.
  • Experience mentoring undergraduate or graduate students or interns.
  • Experience with social-ecological science.
  • Experience studying private landowners, agricultural producers, or forest landowners.
  • Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Knowledge of sea level rise and/or marsh migration.

Salary Information

Salary Range of $50,000 – $56,000

Review Date

03/16/2023 

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

View and apply to this job listing here: https://careers.pageuppeople.com/968/cw/en-us/job/524671/postdoctoral-associate