Postdoc in Soil Data Science & Earth System Modeling

Montana State University; Bozeman, Northern (MT, KY); Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Montana State University’s Department of Land Resources & Environmental Sciences invites applications for a Research Professional to advance a DOE EPSCoR project in soil science and biogeochemistry. The role focuses on developing the Soil Functional Type framework, harmonizing datasets, and mapping biogeochemical processes to inform Earth system models.

The candidate will collaborate with national laboratories, have ML/R/Python proficiency, and support field work in Montana.

Qualifications

• PhD in soil science, biogeochemistry, environmental data science, Earth system modeling, or a related field.
• Experience applying statistical or machine learning methods to environmental or geospatial datasets.
• Proficiency in a scientific programming language (R or Python).
• Experience working with large environmental or soil datasets.
• Demonstrated experience with written and oral scientific communication.
• Experience with unsupervised machine learning methods.
• Experience with Earth System Models (e.g., E3SM/ELM) or land surface/biogeochemical modeling.
• Background in soil biogeochemistry, mineralogy, or soil organic matter dynamics.
• Prior experience collaborating with national laboratories or large multi-institutional research teams.

Responsibilities

• Soil Functional Type (SFT) Framework Development: Compile and harmonize global observational soil databases and apply unsupervised ML to develop depth-explicit SFTs.
• Biogeochemical Representativeness Analysis & SFT Mapping: Evaluate sample coverage and produce global SFT maps identifying data gaps.
• Field Campaign Support: Provide analytical/logistical support for Montana field sampling and integrate field data into SFT validation.
• Lead benchmarking activities with Dr. Avni Malhotra (PNNL) and diagnose Earth System Model limitations.
• Complete an extended residency at PNNL and contribute to EMSL proposal development.

Skills

PhD in Soil Science

ML/Statistics

R or Python

Large datasets

Scientific communication

Education

PhD in related field

Tools

R

Python

Job description

Montana State University’s Department of Land Resources & Environmental Sciences invites applications for a Research Professional to advance a DOE EPSCoR project in soil science and biogeochemistry. The role focuses on developing the Soil Functional Type framework, harmonizing datasets, and mapping biogeochemical processes to inform Earth system models.

The candidate will collaborate with national laboratories, have ML/R/Python proficiency, and support field work in Montana.