The Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation at Clemson University is inviting applications for a full-time research associate (post-doc) who will provide research and outreach support in the Climate-Smart Forestry Project funded by the USDA NIFA. This project is a collaboration between Clemson, the Southeast Climate Hub, and three other land-grant universities (Auburn University, Alabama A&M University, and the University of Georgia) to provide effective, translatable, and scalable approaches to address climate change in the Southeast. The project’s primary goal is to demonstrate and disseminate emerging knowledge, practices, and tools on climate-smart forestry to forestry professionals, natural resources managers, conservationists, and Extension agents in the Southern United States.
The postdoc will work with the Southeast Climate Hub to model and interpret climate change and forest management data to produce information that will help landowners and stakeholders plan future forest management. The individual will perform professional and technical duties involving original research leading to the preparation and submission of peer-reviewed publications for developing models that show smart forestry scenarios related to climate change and extreme events (hurricanes, drought, fire) in the Southeastern forests.
The applicant will work with the Southeast Climate Hub to integrate current data and understanding of these topics into models and visualizations that can help forestry consultants and landowners make more informed management decisions. The applicant will also help to develop online components of the climate-smart forestry program. Extension activities under this project will require substantial partnership with the Climate Hub Scientists and Cooperative Extension teams. Training materials for extension agents, NRCS county-level staff, forestry consultants, and stakeholders will be developed by project staff and drawn directly from the products designed from Hub data by the post-doc. The duties will require the applicant to maintain a working relationship with the scientists, extension personnel, state agencies, forest industry, and landowners at the regional and national levels.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Multi-institutional coordination of research and outreach activities
- Development of programs and agendas for educational workshops
- Development of research reports and papers, and assisting the project team with delivering content on climate-smart forestry and ecosystem services topics.
- Coordinate closely with the project team and regularly provide updates. The position’s primary focus will be to develop research outputs for the education and training of extension agents, NRCS county-level staff, and secondarily, the producers directly – train the trainer.
Eligibility
- Advanced degree in forestry, natural resources, and ecological sciences with extensive experience in geospatial and socio-economic analysis tools
- Demonstrated expertise in research methodologies, geospatial software use and data interpretation
- Writing reports/research papers for both scientific and non-scientific audiences
- Background on working forests, forest certification systems, and industrial and private forestry in the Southern United States
- Ability to supervise graduate and undergraduate students.
Application Details
- A detailed curriculum vitae
- Unofficial graduate transcripts
- A peer-review publication (manuscript)
- Contact information of three references (will not be contacted later in the search process)
Applications will continue to be accepted until the position is filled.
For further information, contact the project director, pk*****@cl*****.edu ” title=””>Dr. Puskar Khanal ( pk*****@cl*****.edu ).
