[ES_JOBS_NET] Post Doctoral Research positions available in Earth System Analysis to Inform Decisionmaking and Coupled Ethical-Epistemic Analyses for Sustainable Climate Risk Management

[Jaime Ross]

Postdoctoral Positions in Sustainable Climate Risk Management
Earth and Environmental Systems Institute
The Pennsylvania State University

Two postdoctoral positions are available in the Earth and Environmental 
Systems Institute at the
Pennsylvania State University. Successful candidates will become part of 
an interdisciplinary research
network on Sustainable Climate Risk Management (SCRiM) 
(http://scrimhub.org). Centered at Penn
State and linking 18 universities and five research institutions in six 
nations, SCRiM addresses the
question: What are sustainable, scientifically sound, technologically 
feasible, economically efficient, and
ethically defensible climate-risk management strategies? SCRiM catalyzes 
fundamental, mission-oriented,
and transdisciplinary research to characterize climate risks and 
trade-offs associated with risk management
instruments such as mitigation, adaptation, and geoengineering. The 
network provides unique opportunities
for research, education, outreach, decision support, and professional 
development. SCRiM postdocs enjoy
ample opportunities for transdisciplinary research collaboration as well 
as professional mentoring by a team
of experts in relevant disciplines. The two available positions are as 
follows:

1. Earth System Analysis to Inform Decisionmaking
The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary research team 
that analyzes two main questions: (i)
How can paleoclimatic and instrumental records improve our mechanistic 
understanding of the climate
system and inform climate predictions? (ii) How can this scientific 
information be used to improve the
design of climate-risk management strategies? The ideal candidate would 
have a strong background in a
field such as Earth system science (e.g., atmospheric science, 
geosciences, oceanography), Bayesian
statistics, or applied mathematics. The candidate will have considerable 
freedom to collaboratively design
the research within the scope of the broad questions outlined above. 
Possible example projects include
uncertainty analysis of climate projections, decision analysis of 
climate change adaptation and mitigation
strategies, and risk analysis of proposed geoengineering strategies.

2. Coupled Ethical-Epistemic Analyses for Sustainable Climate Risk 
Management
The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary research team 
that analyzes two central areas of
concern: (i) the role of coupled ethical-epistemic issues in climate 
change science and (ii) how to improve
decisionmaking under conditions of risk and uncertainty to ensure 
ethical adequacy. The ideal candidate
would have a strong background in the ethical dimensions of scientific 
practice and an appreciation of the
ethical issues raised by deep uncertainty. An understanding of climate 
change mitigation, adaptation,
geoengineering strategies is desirable. Interests in decisionmaking 
under uncertainty, integrated assessment,
and in collaborations involving Earth scientists, statisticians, 
decision analysts, economists, and philosophers
would be further advantages for applicants to both positions.

The positions are available immediately and will remain open until 
filled. Initial appointment will be for a
period of one year, with excellent possibility of renewal for one or 
more additional years. The salary will be
competitive, commensurate with experience, and will comply with Penn 
State University guidelines.
Successful completion of a background check is required prior to employment.

To apply to either position, please email a single PDF file (maximum 10 
MB) containing a letter of interest,
a CV, reprints of two manuscripts, and contact information for three 
references to Jaime Ross
(jli1 at psu.edu <mail%20to:jli1 at psu.edu>). For questions about the 
potential projects, please contact Klaus Keller (klaus at psu.edu)
(position #1) or Nancy Tuana (ntuana at psu.edu) (position #2).

The Pennsylvania State University is committed to affirmative action, 
equal opportunity, and the diversity
of its workforce.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.ucar.edu/pipermail/es_jobs_net/attachments/20140219/dda21a3e/attachment.html