<div dir="ltr"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:700">Overview: </span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national laboratory, ORNL has an extraordinary 80-year history of solving the nation’s biggest problems. We have a dedicated and creative staff of over 6,000 people! Our vision for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) is to cultivate an environment and practices that foster diversity in ideas and in the people across the organization, as well as to ensure ORNL is recognized as a workplace of choice. These elements are critical for enabling the execution of ORNL’s broader mission to accelerate scientific discoveries and their translation into energy, environment, and security solutions for the nation.</span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"> </p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate who will support a Director’s Research & Development project entitled, “SoilCosm phenotyping to counteract priming for sequestration.” The associate will be part of the Molecular and Cellular Imaging Group in the Biosciences Division, Biological and Environmental System Sciences Directorate (BESSD) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).</span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The SoilCosm project will develop an incubator-based system for live monitoring of gas fluxes in small soil microcosms and to apply the system to better understand soil carbon sequestration. Soil is a complex system with numerous interacting components, including root exudates, soil texture, microbial communities, and climatic variables. Reducing atmospheric carbon through soil carbon sequestration is a potential tool to mitigate risks of climate change, however research has shown a potential risk to the strategy due to rhizosphere priming. In priming, fresh carbon inputs can increase microbial activity and lead to the oxidation and release of previously stored carbon as carbon dioxide, thus having the opposite of the intended effect. We wish to better understand the combinations of conditions that lead to positive versus negative priming. To do this, we will develop the SoilCosm Soil Phenotyping platform combining LI-COR gas flux instruments for monitoring carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane and complement with physical sampling for measures of soil carbon, nutrients, and microbiome metagenomics. The project also includes use of a modeling framework to compare the performance of various models and to use the models to guide experiments. The Postdoctoral Research Associate would be responsible for assembling the SoilCosm system and using it to conduct experiments with live soils to determine what drives priming. Therefore, experience with soil measurements, especially gas flux, is highly desirable. Experience with modeling would also be desirable.</span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"> </p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Work will be conducted within a highly interdisciplinary environment to construct and use a multi-chamber soil flux monitoring system and use simulation modeling to better understand soil priming. </span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"> </p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:700">Major Duties/Responsibilities: </span></span></span></p><ul style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:auto;list-style-position:outside;padding-left:revert;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"><li style="box-sizing:border-box;clear:both"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Conduct collaborative scientific research using soil gas flux instrumentation and modeling.</span></span></li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;clear:both"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Lead and contribute to the preparation of scientific manuscripts.</span></span></li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;clear:both"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Present research findings at national and international scientific meetings.</span></span></li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;clear:both"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Work independently to support interdisciplinary research efforts within the SoilCosm project.</span></span></li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;clear:both"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Deliver ORNL’s mission by aligning behaviors, priorities, and interactions with our core values of Impact, Integrity, Teamwork, Safety, and Service. Promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility by fostering a respectful workplace – in how we treat one another, work together, and measure success.</span></span></li></ul><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"> </p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:700">Basic Qualifications:</span></span></span></p><ul style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:auto;list-style-position:outside;padding-left:revert;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"><li style="box-sizing:border-box;clear:both"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A PhD in Soil Science, Plant Science, Ecology, Agronomy, or a related field completed within the last 5 years</span></span></li></ul><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"> </p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:700">Preferred Qualifications:</span></span></span></p><ul style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:auto;list-style-position:outside;padding-left:revert;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"><li style="box-sizing:border-box;clear:both"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following areas is desirable: soil flux, soil carbon, microbial ecology, and modeling.  Priority will be given to candidates that have demonstrated the application of their experience and these techniques to the characterization of soil carbon dynamics</span></span></li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;clear:both"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Excellent written and oral communication skills</span></span></li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;clear:both"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Motivated self-starter with the ability to work independently and to participate creatively in collaborative teams across the laboratory </span></span></li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;clear:both"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Ability to function well in a fast-paced research environment, set priorities to accomplish multiple tasks within deadlines, and adapt to ever changing needs</span></span></li></ul><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px;text-align:justify"> </p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Applicants cannot have received their Ph.D. more than five years prior to the date of application and must complete all degree requirements before starting their appointment. The appointment length will be for up to 24 months with the potential for extension. Initial appointments and extensions are subject to performance and the availability of funding.</span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><br></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Details and application are posted on the ORNL jobs web site: <a href="https://jobs.ornl.gov/job/Oak-Ridge-Postdoctoral-Research-Associate-SoilCosm-Gas-Flux-and-Soil-Priming-TN-37830/1073851000/">https://jobs.ornl.gov/job/Oak-Ridge-Postdoctoral-Research-Associate-SoilCosm-Gas-Flux-and-Soil-Priming-TN-37830/1073851000/</a></span></span></p></div>