Two Open Positions in Evolutionary Ecology and Ecosystem Modeling

The Appalachian Laboratory (AL) of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) invites applications for two tenure-track/tenured faculty positions at the Assistant or Associate Professor level.  We are searching for highly collaborative individuals who will complement our institutional expertise in landscape and watershed ecology. 

We seek an evolutionary ecologist who applies modern genomic and traditional genetic techniques to the study of terrestrial or aquatic ecosystems at broad spatiotemporal scales, consistent with UMCES’ perspective of “genes-to-ecosystems” and “mountain-to-the-sea” research domains.  Preference will be given to candidates who demonstrate experience and vision for research that integrates across levels, from the molecule to the landscape, with the objective of improving understanding of how genetic diversity within ecosystems affects and is affected by current and emerging global change processes.  Potential study organisms include soil and sediment microbes, higher plants, or terrestrial and aquatic vertebrates.

We seek an ecosystem modeler who employs state-of-the-art data-model fusion techniques to address ecological questions and to integrate ecosystem processes across time and space.  Preference will be given to those candidates who demonstrate experience in using multiple datasets to constrain landscape, ecosystem, or earth system models, with the objective of utilizing systems modeling to improve our understanding of ecosystem responses to global change processes.  Scientists at AL and other UMCES laboratories are at the cutting edge of producing increasingly large and diverse datasets in hydrology, air and water quality, land use/land cover change, wildlife habitat, species distributions and genomic variation, biogeochemistry, and terrestrial and aquatic ecology, thus providing numerous opportunities for improved scientific understanding of ecosystems through interdisciplinary collaborations and systems modeling. 

The UMCES mission includes advancing world-class basic research, promoting graduate-level education, conducting community outreach and science application, and providing scientific expertise for regional environmental policies on topics such as air, land, and water management in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.  We seek to build faculty at AL and across our three sibling UMCES laboratories with complementary areas of expertise in the environmental sciences.  These faculty positions provide 75% of salary support, with the expectation of raising 25% salary from grants.  The successful candidates will be expected to mentor graduate students and carry a modest graduate-level teaching load.  The AL is located in the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, with a diverse range of forested and agricultural ecosystems found nearby.  While research relevant to the Chesapeake Bay watershed should become part of the successful candidates’ project portfolios, other regional, national, and global research domains are strongly encouraged.  

These two positions are the first of several coordinated new hires expected over the next few years.  Faculty positions at AL provide a unique opportunity to focus broadly on research, while also mentoring graduate students and participating in collaborative regional and global application and outreach of environmental science.  The AL offers strong administrative support and excellent research, computing, and teaching facilities, including isotopic, molecular, plant, soil, and water analysis laboratories, growth chambers, and a greenhouse.  The AL is located in Frostburg, MD, a small college town (Frostburg State University) in the heart of the central Appalachian Mountains, with excellent recreational and cultural activities nearby. 

Applicants should send the following electronically: (1) a curriculum vitae; (2) statement of research interests and a brief discussion of how their research aligns with one of the two job descriptions and would complement ongoing research at AL and UMCES; (3) statement on experience with and approach to graduate-level teaching and mentoring of graduate students; (4) up to five selected reprints and preprints; and (5) names of four references (including title, mailing address, telephone, FAX, and e-mail address) to PIsearch@al.umces.edu.  Review of applications will begin on January 20, 2015, and will continue until the positions are filled.  Information about the AL and UMCES and this search can be found at: http://www.umces.edu/al   Inquiries may be addressed to the AL Director, Dr. Eric A. Davidson: edavidson@al.umces.edu.

UMCES is an Affirmative Action/EOE.  Individuals with disabilities, veterans, women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.