The Harvard Forest invites applications for a post-doctoral research fellow focused on analysis of forest carbon in New England. The successful candidate will be a member of Jonathan Thompson’s Landscape Ecology Lab and be part of the Harvest Forest Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program. The candidate will work with our existing landscape modeling framework and several large datasets to examine longterm, broad-scale impacts of land use, climate change, invasive insects, and their interactions. Experience with forest models, ecosystem models, carbon accounting, climate mitigation policy, and/or spatial data is required. The candidate should be interested in quantifying opportunities and risks associated with the use of forests in climate change mitigation. The research will build on previous work done in the Thompson Lab, especially the Massachusetts Decarbonization Land Sector Report. While there are some sideboards on the research topics, there is also substantial flexibility regarding the exact specification of questions and methods.
Work Environment: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the position will initially be remote. The post-doc will interact with the lab via Zoom, including participating in our morning lab meetings three times per week. In time, depending on the course of the pandemic, it would be preferable to be based at Harvard Forest in Petersham, Massachusetts; though, this is negotiable. The Lab strives to foster a team environment, but the actual research conducted by this post-doc will require substantial independence. Please learn more about our Lab here.
Required Qualifications: Ph.D. (awarded by start date) in ecology, forestry or a related field; Evidence of strong scholarship, including first-authored peer-reviewed publications; Experiences with forest carbon accounting; Proven ability to plan and conduct research projects from beginning to end; Interest in translating and communicating research for land-use policy.
Preferred Experience: Conducting complex spatial analyses (e.g., GIS, remote sensing, spatial statistics); experience using landscape and/or earth system models (LANDIS-II, CLM); analysis of large datasets (e.g., FIA, PADUS, Census, NWOS); skilled at scripting within the R and/or Python programming languages.
Appointment: There is some flexibility around the start date, but sooner is preferable. Initial appointment of one year is renewable based on performance.
Diversity and Inclusion: Harvard University is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law. Harvard is committed to enriching its educational experience and its culture through the diversity of its faculty, administration, and staff. Harvard Forest strives to be a welcoming and inclusive community and we encourage all qualified applicants to apply. Please see the Harvard Forest Diversity and Inclusion Statement.
Salary and benefits: Commensurate with experience and includes health insurance benefits through Harvard University. Outreach/career development opportunities will include funding for local and national meetings.
To apply: Send Cover letter, CV, PDFs of relevant publications, and the names and contact info for three references to hfapps@fas.harvard.edu
Harvard Forest, a department of Harvard University, is an internationally recognized center for basic and applied research in ecology and conservation, with 40 full-time staff. It is one of 28 Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites across the country sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The Forest includes a research and administrative complex, 4000 acres of land, and residential buildings. The Forest is located in Petersham, a rural, north-central Massachusetts town of 1,200 residents. Petersham is 1 ½ hour drive west of Cambridge.
