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Monitoring Spatial/Temporal Patterns of Aquatic Vegetation Using Hyperspectral Imaging Postdoctoral Scholar

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Position overview

Salary range: Commensurate on experience level with a minimum salary of $55,631, benefits included for 12 months duration appointment at full time of 100%.

Position description

The Ustin Lab at the University of California, Davis is recruiting a post-doctoral scholar for a two-year project, “Mapping patterns of aquatic vegetation in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Marsh following drought in years 2022 and 2023 to investigate impact of the drought barrier”.

Native biodiversity in fresh-brackish aquatic ecosystems is declining at scales from local to global, from drivers such as land-use changes, invasive species, climate change, pollution, and others. These drivers can create feedbacks and can interact synergistically. In a collaborative project with Drs. Shruti Khanna (California Department of Fish and Wildlife), Maria J. Santos (University of Zurich), and Karen Thorne (United States Geological Survey) we are investigating how drought, climate change, and management actions may contribute to regional plant community changes, including distribution and biomass of native and invasive macrophytes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (2200 km2, 1800 km of waterways) and in Suisun Marsh (470 km2, largest brackish marsh in the western U.S.), California. We are focused on the biological/ecological processes that lead to or cause changes in ecosystem function, such as temporal or spatial changes in functional traits of aquatic macrophytes and mechanisms underlying a regime shift. This study builds upon 14 years of field data supporting annual high spatial resolution hyperspectral imagery of the delta, weather and water monitoring data, and management and restoration data. The data period includes two multiyear drought periods and conditions representing all hydrologic designations from wet to extreme drought.

Goals of this project are:
1) Link patterns of community composition and change in aquatic macrophytes to different environmental conditions including hydrologic, climatic, management and mitigation actions and other land-use drivers over a 20-year time period.
2) Evaluate how patterns of macrophyte composition and abundance relate to channels and stream reaches having differing water quality, or quantity.

3) Evaluate how patterns of macrophyte composition and abundance are affected in the surrounding waters around the salinity barriers established in 2015 and 2021 of the previous/current droughts by comparing pre, during and post-drought barrier data.

4) Develop a predictive model for how aquatic macrophytes will respond to future drought conditions and management actions in response to those conditions.

5) Evaluate changes in plant traits in response to these managed and natural events and determine if the Delta is going through a regime shift.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Wear personal protective equipment (PPE) and follow all health and safety protocols in the laboratory, field and on campus as required.
• Schedule COVID tests and submit daily symptom tracking as required.
• Working in a computer laboratory or field settings which require sitting and/or standing for multiple hours processing data and samples.
• Crouch, stoop, reach, bend, lift, carry up to 20 lbs of research equipment in lab or field.
• Wear appropriate PPE in the field; hat, glasses, closed toed shoes, long pants, etc.
• Work in varied temperatures; including hot summer temperatures, e.g. Central Valley temperatures that may exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit to collect samples in various field locations within Central California. Such temperatures may require modifying schedules, e.g., starting work soon after dawn and ending by midday.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Work hours are normally Monday – Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm or 9:00am to 6:00pm, but with flexibility to alter working hours to accommodate field data collection or because of specific project needs.
• Ability to work effectively in a shared workspace environment.
• Occasional travel to designated field sites of project or to meetings with State Agency personnel, typically offices in downtown Sacramento.
• Current and valid Driver's License with good driving record.

SALARY:
Commensurate on experience level with a minimum salary of $55,631, benefits included for 12 months duration appointment at full time of 100%.

HOW TO APPLY:
Create an Application ID
Provide required information and upload documents
If any, provide required reference information

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:
• Curriculum Vitae - Current/updated CV
• Cover Letter
• Statement of Research (Optional)
• Statement of Contributions to Diversity - Diversity contributions documented in the application file will be used
to evaluate applicants. Visit http://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/diversity/equity_inclusion/index.html for
guidelines about writing a diversity statement and why one is requested.
Diversity contributions documented in the application file will be used to evaluate applicants. Visit
http://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/diversity/equity_inclusion/index.html for guidelines about writing a diversity
statement and why one is requested.

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

• PhD in in Ecology, Environmental Science, or in a closely related field.
• Expertise in ecological/environmental modeling, remote sensing (experience with hyperspectral imagery desired).
• GIS skills.
• Familiarity with code in common modeling, geospatial and statistical tools including IDL, C, R, Python, or similar languages.
• Analytical skills to anticipate, identify problems, compare data, and conclude and disseminate data.
• Record of first-authored publications.

Preferred qualifications (other preferred, but not required, qualifications for the position)

• Experience in modeling plant growth in response to environmental parameters.
• Programming skills with Python and other programming languages.
• Expertise in remote sensing image processing and GIS tools.
• Analytical skills that include modeling of plant and ecological processes.
• Ability to work independently with minimal guidance once overall goals and expectations are defined.
• Experience with time management and meeting contract deadlines.
• Ability to write and edit reports and scientific manuscripts including data analysis, interpretations.
• Contributions to scientific planning, goal setting, and methods development.
• Strong publication record.
• Knowledge pertaining to environmental impacts (solar radiation, temperatures, soil moisture, etc.) on carbon assimilation, stomatal conductance, transpiration, and water use efficiency.
• Familiarity with California wetland and Delta aquatic plant species.
• Experience communicating science to the general public and scientific audiences and communities.
• Experience working with diverse groups.

Application Requirements

Document requirements
  • Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

  • Cover Letter

  • Statement of Research (Optional)

  • Statement of Teaching (Optional)

  • Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion documented in the application file will be used to evaluate applicants. Visit https://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/faculty-equity-and-inclusion for guidelines about writing a statement and why one is requested.

Reference requirements
  • 3-5 required (contact information only)
Apply link: https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF04923

Help contact: nbmorrill@ucdavis.edu

About UC Davis

UC Davis is a smoke and tobacco-free campus (http://breathefree.ucdavis.edu/).

We are an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer, and particularly encourage applications from members of historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, women, individuals’ with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ community members, and others who demonstrate the ability to help us achieve our vision of a diverse and inclusive community. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct

Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UC Davis positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check. More information is available at: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) is committed to inclusive excellence by advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in all that we do. UC Davis celebrates the multi-cultural diversity of its community by creating a welcoming and inclusive environment demonstrated through a variety of resources and programs available to academics, staff, and students. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are core values of UC Davis that are embedded within our Principles of Community and are tied with how to best serve our student population. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service can best be fully realized by members of our academic community who share our commitment to these values, which are included in our Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Vision, our strategic plan: “To Boldly Go,” our Principles of Community, the Office of Academic Affairs’ Mission Statement, and the UC Board of Regents Policy 4400: Policy on University of California Diversity Statement. UC Davis is making important progress towards our goal of achieving federal designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers a plethora of resources on their website, and the Office of Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (HEDI) has outlined similar goals in their Anti-Racism and DEI Action Plan.” There are a plethora of links available on the About Us webpage where you can learn more about our Administration, Diversity and Inclusion, Rankings, Locations, Native American Land Acknowledgement, Sustainability, Visiting UC Davis, UC Davis Health, and Campus Safety.

The university is consistently ranked among the top institutions in the world for campus sustainability practices by the UI Green Metric World University Rankings. UC Davis is focused on achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and repeatedly shown its commitment to preserving a healthy and sustainable environment for generations to come.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

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Job location

Davis, CA