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Post-Doctoral Scholar Position in Community Ecology and Ecosystem Functioning of Rivers

Posted: 
06/07/2021
Expiration Date: 
06/30/2021

Aquatic Station, Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA

We are seeking a post-doctoral scholar to join a large, well-funded, multi-disciplinary, and highly collaborative group of researchers working on a large-scale project: “Quantifying drivers of native and non-native aquatic species abundance and distribution in drought- and flood-prone Texas basins". The project is a collaboration between researchers at TX State University and the US Army Corps of Engineers (the Engineer Research and Development Center).

The post-doctoral position is immediately available for a motivated and intellectually curious applicant with proven quantitative, problem-solving, collaboration, and communication (written and oral) skills. A Ph.D. in Biology, Ecology, Environmental Science, or a related science field is required at the time of employment. The position has funding for a minimum two-year term, with annual renewal contingent upon performance. 

The selected candidate will have flexibility to pursue specific research projects/topics of their interest (including some budget management) but should broadly be interested in working on the ecology of river systems at a variety of spatiotemporal scales. Research topics include but are not limited to: patterns of species diversity and distribution across and within drainages, cycling and transport of nutrients, food web ecology, and ecosystem metabolism. River ecosystems in much of TX are biologically diverse, span multiple environmental gradients (e.g., climate) and regions (e.g., geology and ecoregion), and provide excellent opportunities to test hypotheses across large and small spatiotemporal scales. The position will be at the Aquatic Station at the Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. The Aquatic Station houses an animal wet lab facility, a diversity of instrumentation used for analysis of nutrients and ecosystem functioning and is located near an experimental stream facility that is being built as a part of this project. 

The selected candidate will be expected to be a key part of a large and multi-disciplinary group of PIs, other post-docs, students, and technicians, and will mentor and work closely with students at all levels. Opportunities to serve on graduate committees and teach specialized graduate courses in an area of the candidate’s expertise will exist. 

Preferred skills and experience include advanced knowledge of and/or experience with one or more of the following: ecology of lotic ecosystems (particularly invertebrates), lotic nutrient cycling and ecosystem metabolism, experience with multivariate statistical analyses, stable isotope analysis, and management of large data sets. An established record of publication in peer-reviewed literature is preferred. The selected candidate will be expected to play a key role in publishing results of the research and should expect to be primary author on publications for which they played a leading role in the research.

Our collaborative group at Texas State University, a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution, seeks to contribute to increased diversity and representation (visible and invisible) in aquatic sciences. We are especially interested in applicants who share our commitment to equity and high-quality education of students from historically underserved and marginalized communities. We seek and encourage candidates from under-represented groups to apply. Applicants for all positions are encouraged to describe how they will support and contribute to our efforts build and maintain a diverse and inclusive research team.  

To apply for the position, please access the Texas State University Job Portal at https://jobs.hr.txstate.edu/postings/35183

For questions or additional information, please contact Weston Nowlin at: wn11@txstate.edu