Position Description:
The Climate and Governance Variability in the Great Lakes Project (CGVG) at the University of Minnesota Duluth is seeking a postdoctoral scholar to work closely with a team of social and natural scientists to characterize the underlying variability in climate-driven disturbances, governance structures, and community capacities in the Great Lakes Basin. This is a 100%-time appointment as a postdoctoral scholar. The position is for one year and is renewable, subject to satisfactory performance and continued availability of funding.

The position is funded through a National Science Foundation, Coastlines and People, Research Coordination Network grant. The purpose of the grant is to determine whether the current governance structures and capacities within coastal communities of the Great Lakes can adapt to and optimize responses to the changing variability in climate-driven disturbances. As such, an important activity will be the characterization of the underlying variability in climate-driven disturbances (physical and biological) and derivation of key economic and social indicators that can be used in conjunction with measures of community capacity and response. The person selected will be intensively involved in assembling relevant data sets, analyzing them, and communicating the results in a variety of formats. A person experienced in the integration of social and ecological systems is sought, but the individual fulfilling this role should at least have demonstrated a commitment to working at this interface. In addition, a background in modeling or advanced statistics with complex datasets or time series analysis is desired. Though experience with the Great Lakes will be beneficial, it is not an essential qualification; grounding in the theory of social-ecological systems is more necessary.

The precise responsibilities of the postdoc will vary depending on the candidate selected, but in addition to the primary scholarship to be performed, it will also include fulfilling a leadership role in organizing the Climate-Governance Variability in the Great Lakes (CGVG) annual network meetings. The post-doctoral fellow will help coordinate the research coordination network, including initiating and organizing regular communications among network participants managing an interactive collaborative platform, scheduling special communications {e.g., topical webinars), assisting PIs and facilitators with workshop planning, and collaboratively preparing proposals and manuscripts. This experience will result in the development of professional skills (e.g. grant writing, administrative tasks, publishing, etc.) that will serve them throughout their career. In addition, there will be opportunities for data synthesis, leading and writing associated manuscripts, while participating in the writing of others. There may also be opportunities to teach courses as determined in consultation with the lead faculty member (Dr. Ryan Bergstrom).

At the University of Minnesota Duluth, postdoctoral scholars are academic employees who conduct research and provide service that enhances career skills or allows for opportunities to learn new research. They are trained by and work in conjunction with a faculty mentor who determines the training agenda. The individual serving in this role will gain experience working in social-ecological systems, will become intimately familiar with the Great Lakes as a study system, will experience high-level research activities, and will closely observe the academic environment in a regional comprehensive university that combines high expectations for research along with a focus on both graduate and undergraduate education.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be?

• Synthesize and analyze relevant existing datasets, theories, and methods into a cohesive body of knowledge related to variability in socio-ecological systems in the Great Lakes Basin.
• Write, review, and edit research articles, and present research at conferences.
• Design and develop digital and multimedia forms of communicating research results and discoveries.
• With the support of the steering committee, the postdoc will help organize and manage meetings of the Steering Committee, and plan and manage the CGVG annual networking meetings.

What Should You Know?

• All postdoctoral positions are for one year, with the possibility of renewal based on performances and funding availability.
• Review of applications will begin March 01, 2022. The position will remain open until filled.
• This position will be housed in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science at the University of Minnesota Duluth, and residency may be required for the duration of the appointment.

What We Can Offer?

• We can offer a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package

Minimum Requirements:
• Ph.D. in geography, biology, ecology, water resources, climate science, or related field, with focus on socio-ecological systems
• Robust computational and data analytics skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
• Ability to work both independently and in a team environment

Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience working with data analysis (regression, time series, and/or network analysis), proficiency with relevant data analysis tools including but not limited to R, Python and SPSS, and experience with machine learning, textual analysis or topic modeling is preferred.
• Experience in web design, graphic design, social media, podcasts, etc.

About University of Minnesota, Duluth

The University of Minnesota Duluth integrates liberal education, research, creative activity, and public engagement and prepares students to thrive as lifelong learners and globally engaged citizens.

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