[ES_JOBS_NET] Assistant Project Scientist - Climate and Vegetation Dynamics

[Lara Kueppers]

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*Apply here: **https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF03883*


      Position overview

*Position title:* Assistant Project Scientist
*Salary range:* The UC academic salary scales set the minimum pay 
determined by rank and step at appointment. See the following table(s) 
for the current salary scale(s) for this position: 
https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2022-23/july-2022-salary-scales/t37-b.pdf. 
A reasonable estimate for this position is $68,400 - $87,000.
*Percent time:* 100%
*Anticipated start:* Spring 2023
*Position duration:* The initial appointment will be for one year with 
the possibility of extension based on performance and availability of 
funding.


      Application Window

    *Open date: *March 16, 2023

    *Next review date:* Friday, Mar 31, 2023 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
    Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

    *Final date: *Monday, Apr 17, 2023 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
    Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those
    received after the review date will only be considered if the
    position has not yet been filled.


      Position description

The Energy and Resources Group (ERG) within the Rausser College of 
Natural Resources (RCNR) at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) 
seeks applications for an Assistant Project Scientist to further 
understanding of how climate change and disturbance processes affect 
vegetation and ecosystem dynamics.

The appointee will work with the Kueppers Lab, which works across 
tropical, temperate and alpine ecosystems using dynamic regional models 
and fieldwork to inform stewardship of ecosystems under climate pressure.

As climate change begins to affect a wide range of ecosystems there are 
key challenges ahead. These include anticipating and understanding 
potential ecological consequences, developing management options to 
limit negative outcomes, and quantifying the potential for ecosystems to 
draw down atmospheric carbon in addition to maintaining other 
ecoclimatic benefits.

To address these challenges, the Kueppers lab integrates data from 
climate change experiments and diverse observations into dynamic models 
of vegetation and ecosystem change. This requires simultaneous 
consideration of changes in temperature, water balance, CO2 and 
disturbance regimes, as well as the plant functional diversity within 
ecosystems that can buffer ecosystem scale response.

The appointee will play a central role in testing, applying and 
developing a cutting-edge dynamic, demographic, vegetation model of 
Western U.S. ecosystems and fire regimes. The modeling framework is the 
Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator (FATES) (see 
link), which is embedded within the CTSM land surface model, and 
includes an adapted version of the SPITFIRE model of fire behavior.

The appointee will work with collaborators at multiple Universities and 
National Laboratories to utilize high-resolution regional atmospheric 
forcing and evaluate model output with synthesized in situ and remotely 
sensed observations.

On a day to day basis, the employee will conduct and communicate 
important original research through some combination of each of the 
following: synthesizing and analyzing data; running and interpreting 
model simulations; taking the lead in writing presentations, proposals 
and progress reports; mentoring and co-mentoring students; giving 
presentations to a range of audiences; organizing project team meetings; 
and talking with scientists, land managers and policy makers to inform 
research objectives. The employee may also supervise research assistants 
and develop and submit original research proposals.

Goals of the current project include simulating ecological effects of 
historic management and atmospheric change to understand how compounding 
drivers interact to produce current vegetation structure, and simulating 
the response of ecosystem carbon and severe wildfire risk to alternative 
fuel management and climate scenarios.

Future projects will be developed jointly to address gaps in 
observations of post-fire vegetation regeneration under climate change 
and interactions between forest structure and hydrology among other topics.

In addition to pursuing novel and impactful research, the appointee is 
expected to lead and contribute to grant proposals, mentor graduate and 
undergraduate students, coordinate multi-institutional collaborations, 
and cultivate relationships with policy makers, land managers and others 
invested in the future of Western U.S. ecosystems.

*Project Scientist Salary Scale (Table 37B)*: 
https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2022-23/july-2022-salary-scales/t37-a.pdf

*UCNet Labor Contract*: 
https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/labor/bargaining-units/ra/index.html

*Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator (FATES)*: 
https://github.com/NGEET/fates-release


      Qualifications

*Basic qualifications* (required at time of application)

PhD (or equivalent international degree)

*Preferred qualifications*

  * PhD and at least two years of Postdoctoral experience in Earth
    System Science, Ecology, Environmental Science, Geography, Earth
    Science, Atmospheric Science or a related field
  * Demonstrated ability to produce and effectively communicate high
    quality scientific results, as evidenced by a track record of
    publications in international peer-reviewed journals
  * Expertise in disturbance ecology, wildland fire, forest dynamics,
    landscape ecology, or global change ecology
  * Familiarity with ecological theory and/or systems-based modeling
    approaches
  * Working knowledge of quantitative analysis techniques for large
    ecological or environmental datasets, such as remotely sensed data
    products, eddy covariance time-series, or forest inventory time-series
  * Experience coding in Fortran, R, Python, or Matlab and utilizing
    high-performance computing
  * Proficiency in executing process-based vegetation model simulations
    to test hypotheses
  * Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively as
    part of a team
  * Demonstrated ability to mentor junior scholars
  * Demonstrated ability to engage with diverse individuals working in
    natural resource conservation and management
  * Evidence of contributions to advancing diversity, equity and
    inclusion in professional settings


      Application Requirements

*Document requirements*

  *

    Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

  *

    Statement of Research - 2 pages suggested

  *

    Cover Letter (Optional)

  *

    Statement on Contributions to Advancing Diversity, Equity, and
    Inclusion - 1 page suggested

    Statement on your contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion,
    including information about your understanding of these topics, your
    record of activities to date, and your specific plans and goals for
    advancing equity and inclusion if hired at Berkeley (for additional
    information go to
    <https://ofew.berkeley.edu/recruitment/contributions-diversity>https://ofew.berkeley.edu/recruitment/contributions-diversity).

    (Optional)

*Reference requirements*

  * 3 required (contact information only)

*Apply link:* https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF03883

*Help contact:* lmkueppers at berkeley.edu


      Campus Information

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are core values at UC 
Berkeley. Our excellence can only be fully realized by faculty, 
students, and academic and non-academic staff who share our commitment 
to these values. Successful candidates for our academic positions will 
demonstrate evidence of a commitment to advancing equity, inclusion, and 
belonging.

The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal 
Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will 
receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, 
religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, 
disability, age, or protected veteran status. For the complete 
University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy 
see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct

In searches when letters of reference are required all letters will be 
treated as confidential per University of California policy and 
California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when 
letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career 
center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality 
<http://apo.berkeley.edu/ucb-confidentiality-policy> prior to submitting 
their letter.

As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the 
University of California Policy on Vaccination Programs – With Updated 
Interim Amendments 
<https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/5000695/VaccinationProgramsPolicy>. All 
Covered Individuals under the policy must provide proof of receiving the 
COVID-19 Vaccine Primary Series or, if applicable, submit a request for 
Exception (based on Medical Exemption, Disability, Religious Objection, 
and/or Deferral based on pregnancy or recent COVID-19 diagnosis and/or 
treatment) no later than the applicable deadline. All Covered 
Individuals must also provide proof of receiving the most recent 
CDC-recommended COVID-19 booster or properly decline such booster no 
later than the applicable deadline. New University of California 
employees should refer to Exhibit 2 
<https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/5000695/VaccinationProgramsPolicy#page=44>, 
Section II.C. of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Vaccination Program 
Attachment 
<https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/5000695/VaccinationProgramsPolicy#page=13> 
for applicable deadlines. All Covered Individuals must also provide 
proof of being Up-To-Date on seasonal influenza vaccination or properly 
decline such vaccination no later than the applicable deadline. Please 
refer to the Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Program Attachment 
<https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/5000695/VaccinationProgramsPolicy#page=51>. 
(Capitalized terms in this paragraph are defined in the policy.) 
Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional 
requirements.

Positions that are represented by a collective bargaining unit or agent 
have particular contracts. For more information, please refer to the 
relevant contract: Lecturer (IX) contract 
<https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/labor/bargaining-units/ix/index.html>, 
Postdoctoral (PX) contract 
<https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/labor/bargaining-units/px/index.html>, 
Academic Researcher (RA) contract 
<https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/labor/bargaining-units/ra/index.html>, 
and Librarian (LX ) contract 
<https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/labor/bargaining-units/lx/index.html>. 
Questions about represented positions can be directed to the hiring unit.


*Apply here: **https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF03883*

-- 
Lara M. Kueppers (she/her)
Associate Professor, Energy & Resources Group, UC Berkeley
Faculty Scientist, Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Berkeley Lab
510.457.6524

Office hours sign-ups:https://calendly.com/lmkueppers_ucb/open-office-hours
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