Postdoctoral Research Associate - Phytoplankton Ecology

PURPOSE

A postdoctoral research associate position is available in the Coastal Water Health lab at the Harte Research Institute. The postdoctoral researcher will conduct research under the auspices of a new NOAA ECOHAB grant that focuses on understanding dynamics of Aureoumbra lagunensis ("brown tide") blooms in the Baffin Bay-Upper Laguna Madre ecosystem of Texas. The postdoctoral researcher will gain experience in project management, project development, mentoring (of undergraduate/graduate students) and stakeholder engagement. Opportunities also exist for comparative analysis of phytoplankton dynamics between estuarine systems that vary in e.g., freshwater inflow, nutrient loadings, etc.

DESCRIPTION

Functional Area 1: Project Coordination

Percent Effort: 10%

• Coordinate project activities in collaboration with PI, Co-PIs and assigned staff
• Implement project activities

Functional Area 2: Data Acquisition

Percent Effort: 40%

• Participate in field and laboratory-based project activities to acquire data
• Process and analyze samples collected
• Develop new techniques as appropriate for project

Functional Area 3: Research and Data Analysis

Percent Effort: 40%

• Analyze water quality data
• Submit data to a data manager in a timely manner
• Publish results in peer reviewed journals and present at local/national/international meetings.

Functional Area 4: Research Development

Percent Effort: 10%

• Develop new avenues of research
• Submit grant applications to support new avenues of research

QUALIFICATIONS

• Ph.D. in Marine Science or related field
• Experience with phytoplankton identification, preferably including marine taxa.
• Fundamental knowledge of phytoplankton ecology
• Intermediate skills in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including experience communicating scientific findings to a broad audience.
• Desire to work with a broad spectrum of collaborators, managers, and stakeholders.
• Experience with project management and ability to meet project goals in a timely manner.
• Ability to participate in field work under occasional harsh conditions such as heat and wind
• Experience with appropriate statistical techniques for analyzing time-series data and community structure data

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with R software packages