[ES_JOBS_NET] Post-doctoral Position in Large Scale Forest Succession Modeling

[Erika Marín-Spiotta]

Subject: Post-doctoral Position in Large Scale Forest Succession Modeling

Large Scale Forest Succession Modeling

We offer a 1 year, renewable for a 2nd year, Postdoctoral fellowship for=20=

excellent candidate to lead the design and building of a large scale spat=
ial=20
simulation model of successional dynamics of boreal forest, with an empha=
sis=20
on western Canada.

Certification agencies, NGOs, and governments increasingly require that=20=

forest companies prove that their forest management activities are=20
consistent with the Natural or Historical Range of Variation (NRV or HRV)=
 of=20
the ecosystems being managed. To do this, it=92s necessary to reconstruct=
=20
distributions of past landscapes in terms of age structure and species=20=

composition, and project such landscapes into the future under assumption=
s=20
of forest management, disturbance regime and climate.

The objective for this position is to build methodologies for extensive,=20=

generalizable, spatially explicit forest succession and regeneration mode=
ls=20
1) based on phenomenological and process drivers (e.g., state-transition =
and=20
growth models) and 2) integrating to the extent possible the disparate an=
d=20
partial sources of available quantitative data. This modelling effort wil=
l=20
draw from and build on other complementary modeling efforts in my lab. We=
=20
are currently building a new simulation platform in R=20
(www.github.com/achubaty/SpaDES) allowing for highly modularized simulati=
on=20
components and scalability using the new generation of Big Data packages.=
=20
This modularity facilitates testing of =93models as hypotheses=94, so dif=
ferent=20
modules can be tested against data.

Desired skills:
=95 Knowledge of the biological processes of forest succession, reproduct=
ion,=20
regeneration, mortality, growth, alternative stable states =95 Proven ski=
lls=20
with spatial simulation and ecological modelling (e.g. LANDIS, SORTIE,=20=

NetLogo) and with related programming and analysis tools (e.g. R, C++,=20=

Python, SELES) , with an interest in advancing modelling technology =95=20=

Quantitative skills for analysis of raw data to estimate unknown paramete=
rs=20
=95 Knowledge of the Pattern Oriented Modeling approach for estimation of=
=20
parameters =95 Large dataset management skills (field data and remote sen=
sed=20
data) =95 Track record of peer reviewed publication

Salary and Funding
$49,516 - $55,000 per year. The postdoc is jointly funded by the Foothill=
s=20
Research Institute and pending funding from Natural Sciences and Engineer=
ing=20
Research Council of Canada (NSERC), plus up to $5000 per year stipend for=
=20
research (travel, publication costs, etc.). This fellowship is open to a=20=

person from any country.

Start Date
September 1, 2014 or as soon as possible

Location
Pacific Forestry Center, Victoria, BC, Canada. Victoria is a beautiful=20=

harbour city surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on all sides, offering=20
excellent outdoor recreation opportunities on land and the ocean. The cit=
y=20
also offers a world class food experience with a combination of a strong =
and=20
vibrant local food movement and international cuisine. The climate is=20
pleasant all year round.

Applicants should submit by email a short statement of interest, a curren=
t=20
CV, and the names of three references. For further information, contact m=
e=20
at:
eliot.mcintire at nrcan.gc.ca, +1-250-298-2374

More details: http://www.cef-cfr.ca/index.php?n=3DMembres.EliotMcIntire?
userlang=3Den
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