Postdoctoral Associate

1000scholars

Town of Ithaca (NY)

On-site

USD 63,000 - 70,000

Full time

4 days ago

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Job summary

Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences invites applications for a Postdoctoral Associate focused on livestock systems and sustainable food-system transitions. The role emphasizes data-driven analyses, model development, and collaboration across disciplines.

The successful candidate will work with global datasets, develop quantitative models, and contribute to peer‑reviewed publications, policy outputs, and stakeholder-facing materials.

Qualifications

Ph.D. in Animal Science, Environmental Science, Agricultural Sciences, Agronomy, Soil Science, Ecology, Geography, Agricultural Engineering, Global Development, or closely related field.
Demonstrated experience in livestock systems research, livestock systems modelling, environmental assessment, or food-system sustainability analysis.
Strong understanding of livestock production systems, including ruminant and/or monogastric systems, herd or flock dynamics, productivity, feed use, and management practices.
Demonstrated quantitative modelling skills, including process-based models, biophysical models, spatial models, integrated assessment models, or related approaches.
Capacity to analyze how livestock systems interact with soils, plants, climate, and other components of agricultural ecosystems.
Familiarity with methods for estimating greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts from livestock systems.
Experience working with large datasets and reproducible analytical workflows.
Proficiency in R, Python, or another relevant programming language.

Responsibilities

Evaluate mitigation and adaptation strategies from incremental changes to transformative interventions.
Conduct multi-scale analyses of livestock production systems.
Characterize livestock systems across ruminant and monogastric species.
Develop, adapt, and apply quantitative models to assess interventions.
Integrate biophysical, environmental, economic, and social dimensions to assess feasibility.
Analyze greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts.
Collaborate with internal and external partners on interdisciplinary research.
Prepare peer-reviewed manuscripts, technical reports, and presentations.
Present findings at conferences and stakeholder meetings.
Mentor or provide guidance to students or junior researchers.

Skills

Livestock modelling

Environmental assessment

Data analysis

R/Python

Scientific communication

Education

PhD in Animal Science/Environmental Science/AG/related field

Tools

Python

Job description

Position Description

Department of Global Development

Postdoctoral Associate

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is a pioneer of purpose-driven science and home to Cornell University’s second largest population of students, faculty and staff. We work across disciplines to tackle the challenges of our time through world-renowned research, education, and outreach. The questions we probe and the answers we seek focus on three overlapping concerns: natural and human systems; food, energy and environmental resources; and social, physical and economic well-being. CALS is fundamentally invested in improving the lives of people, their environments and their communities both in New York state and around the world.

Cornell's Food Systems & Global Change (FSGC) team is a part of the Department of Global Development, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and focuses on increasing the sustainability of food systems for the benefit of humans and ecosystems. We work in the areas of sustainable intensification of agriculture, climate mitigation and adaptation, livestock systems, and healthy and sustainable diets, providing analysis and insights aimed at helping to shape the decision-making process at all relevant levels. The livestock sector is a crucial component of the food system and, due to its impacts and contributions, can play a defining role in any sensible development strategy. We are looking for a motivated postdoc to provide support in performing analyses to guide decision making in the livestock sector ?in order to support sustainable food systems transitions.

Position Function

Livestock systems are important for food security, rural livelihoods, land use, nutrient cycling, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, they can also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, pressure on land and water resources, and other environmental impacts. Identifying effective interventions therefore requires a systems perspective that brings together animal biology, herd and flock management, feed resources, land use, environmental outcomes, economic feasibility, and adoption potential across diverse socioeconomic contexts.

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Associate to support research on livestock systems and sustainable food-system transitions. The successful candidate will contribute to multi-scale and multidimensional analyses designed to guide mitigation and adaptation interventions in the livestock sector, including changes in herd and flock management, animal nutrition, feed resources, animal genetics, land use, grazing management, and emerging technologies. The position will involve working with large regional and global datasets, developing and applying quantitative models, evaluating environmental and productivity outcomes, and supporting the design and analysis of case studies.

The successful candidate will work as part of an interdisciplinary team and collaborate with researchers, students, external partners, and stakeholders. The position will involve data analysis, model development, manuscript preparation, project coordination, occasional mentoring of junior researchers, and dissemination of findings through peer-reviewed publications, reports, presentations, and stakeholder-facing outputs.

Responsibilities

Evaluate mitigation and adaptation strategies ranging from incremental management changes to more transformative interventions, including changes in diets, grazing management, feed resources, animal genetics, plant breeding, land use, and emerging technologies.
Conduct multi-scale analyses of livestock production systems, including global, regional, national, and case-study applications.
Characterize livestock systems across ruminant and monogastric species, including herd and flock parameters and dynamics, feed composition, and variables related to production-system typologies.
Develop, adapt, and apply quantitative models to assess livestock interventions, including process-based, biophysical, spatial, and integrated assessment approaches.
Integrate biophysical, environmental, economic, and social dimensions to assess intervention feasibility, tradeoffs, adoption potential, and context-specific outcomes.
Analyze greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts associated with livestock production systems, including methane, nitrous oxide, feed-related emissions, land-use interactions, and nutrient flows.
Support the identification and development of case studies for livestock management innovations and define typologies for interventions in livestock systems.
Work with large spatial and tabular datasets, including regional and global livestock, land-use, feed, climate, environmental, and sustainability indicator datasets.
Contribute to the development and documentation of livestock feed libraries, sustainability indicators, modelling workflows, and reproducible data pipelines.
Collaborate with internal and external research partners, including interdisciplinary teams working across livestock, food systems, climate, land use, economics, and policy.
Prepare peer-reviewed manuscripts, technical reports, policy-relevant outputs, and presentations for academic and professional audiences.
Present research findings at conferences, seminars, project meetings, and stakeholder workshops.
Mentor or provide technical guidance to graduate students, undergraduate students, visiting scholars, or junior researchers, as appropriate.
Support project coordination, data management, reporting, and other organizational activities associated with collaborative research projects.

Anticipated Division of Time

Research, modelling, data analysis, and manuscript preparation – 80%
Collaboration, project coordination, reporting, and stakeholder engagement – 10%
Mentoring and technical support to students or junior researchers – 10%

Required Qualifications

Ph.D. in Animal Science, Environmental Science, Agricultural Sciences, Agronomy, Soil Science, Ecology, Geography, Agricultural Engineering, Global Development, or a closely related field.
Demonstrated experience in livestock systems research, livestock systems modelling, environmental assessment, or food-system sustainability analysis.
Strong understanding of livestock production systems, including ruminant and/or monogastric systems, herd or flock dynamics, productivity, feed use, and management practices.
Demonstrated quantitative modelling skills, including experience with process-based models, biophysical models, spatial models, integrated assessment models, or related approaches.
Capacity to analyze how livestock systems interact with soils, plants, climate, and other components of agricultural ecosystems, and assess the resulting synergies and trade-offs across food systems domains.
Familiarity with methods for estimating greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts from livestock systems.
Experience working with large datasets and reproducible analytical workflows.
Proficiency in R, Python, or another relevant programming language.
Ability to handle, analyze, and interpret spatial data.
Strong analytical skills and excellent written and oral communication abilities.
Track record of leading peer-reviewed publications or demonstrated ability to contribute substantially to high-quality, publishable research.
Proven effectiveness to work independently while contributing effectively to interdisciplinary and collaborative research teams.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience developing or applying livestock feed libraries, animal nutrition models, whole-farm models, or soil–plant–animal models at different spatial scales.
Familiarity with adoption analysis, stakeholder preferences, qualitative or mixed-methods research, or participatory modelling approaches.
Experience working with global livestock, land-use, climate, remote-sensing, satellite images, or sustainability indicator datasets.
Competence with GIS tools and spatial analysis software.
Experience with uncertainty analysis, scenario analysis, sensitivity analysis, or model comparison.
Interest in using artificial intelligence tools to improve literature synthesis, coding workflows, data processing, model development, or scientific communication, while maintaining scientific rigor and reproducibility.
Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical findings to scientific, policy, and applied audiences.
Proven success mentoring undergraduate or graduate students.

Supervision Exercised

There are no supervisory responsibilities for this position.

Salary

CALS hiring rate for this title is $63,480 -$70,000.

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Life. Changing.

Cornell University is an innovative Ivy League and Land-grant university and a great place to work. Our inclusive community of scholars, students, and staff impart an uncommon sense of larger purpose and contribute creative ideas to further the university's mission of teaching, discovery, and engagement.

Cornell’s regional and global presence includes state-wide Cornell Cooperative Extension programs and offices in all counties and boroughs, global partnerships with institutions and communities engaged in life-changing research and education, the medical college’s campuses on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Doha, Qatar, and the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island in the heart of New York City.

EEO Statement

With a founding principle of “any person, any study,” Cornell is an equal opportunity employer. Cornell welcomes students, faculty, and staff with diverse backgrounds from across the globe to pursue world-class education and career opportunities, to further the founding principle of “... any person ... any study.” No person shall be denied employment on the basis of any legally protected status or subjected to prohibited discrimination involving, but not limited to, such factors as race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual’s genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Cornell University embraces diversity in its workforce and seeks job candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff of all identities and backgrounds. We hire based on merit, and encourage people from historically underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply. Consistent with federal law, Cornell engages in affirmative action in employment for qualified protected veterans as defined in the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRRA) and qualified individuals with disabilities under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.

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