The Marine Science Institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara, seeks a Postdoctoral Researcher in Land/Seascape Ecology to examine connections between land use change, anthropogenic stressors, and coral reef health on Moorea, French Polynesia. The Postdoctoral Researcher would work closely with Drs. Deron Burkepile and Tom Adam at UC Santa Barbara, Dr. Mary Donovan at Arizona State University, and other investigators in the Moorea Coral Reef Long Term Ecological Research Program. We seek a candidate with a background in landscape ecology, the dynamics of land use change, and the impact of land use change on ecosystems. Experience with Geographic Information Systems, geographical sciences, spatial statistics, and land-use change analyses are preferred. Although the focus of this research is on the impact of land use change on near-shore coral reef ecosystems, no prior experience in coral reef ecology or marine ecology is required. We encourage scientists with backgrounds in different ecosystems (e.g., tropical forests, seagrass ecosystems, etc.) but with experience in similar ecological concepts to apply. Principle duties would include analysis of satellite imagery to quantify land use change over time, and analyses of spatially-explicit datasets on nutrient availability. These will then be combined with existing data on coral/algal cover and fish communities in marine environments to understand land-sea connections. Writing and publishing results in peer-reviewed manuscripts is expected. Additionally, the Postdoctoral Researcher would ideally contribute to field work gathering data on shallow coral reefs. However, no prior experience with marine field work is required, and all field work would be conducted on snorkel with no SCUBA diving experience required.
Application Deadline: March 1, 2022
Contact with questions: Deron Burkepile dburkepile@ucsb.edu
Full job ad: https://recruit.ap.ucsb.
