Postdoctoral Fellow — Grassland Carbon Modeling & Forecasting

University of Oklahoma; United States; On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Oklahoma invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in grassland ecosystem modeling, focusing on the Microbial-Enzyme Decomposition (MEND) model to predict soil carbon dynamics. The role includes data assimilation from diagnostic models and remote sensing to improve prognostic simulations.

The successful candidate will collaborate across ecology, remote sensing, and AI/ML to generate high-resolution carbon flux data products and contribute to publications and

Qualifications

• PhD in ecosystem ecology, Earth system science, biogeochemistry, soil science, environmental science, applied mathematics, computer science, or related field.
• Strong background in ecosystem modeling, terrestrial carbon-cycle modeling, soil carbon modeling, biogeochemical modeling, ecological forecasting, statistics, or machine learning.
• Demonstrated programming skills in Fortran, Python, R, Julia, MATLAB, or similar languages.
• Strong quantitative, writing, and presentation skills.
• A strong publication record or clear evidence of potential for peer-reviewed publications.

Responsibilities

• Develop, calibrate, and evaluate ecosystem models, especially MEND, for grassland carbon-cycle simulations.
• Use long-term experimental and observational data from Oklahoma grassland sites to improve model parameterization and evaluation.
• Assimilate data products from diagnostic models and remote sensing into prognostic model simulations.
• Generate geospatial data products of plant biomass, root biomass, and soil organic carbon stocks at high spatial and temporal resolution.
• Conduct scenario simulations to evaluate grassland carbon responses to climate variability, extreme events, altered precipitation intensity and frequency, and land-use change.
• Work collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team in ecosystem ecology, microbial ecology, remote sensing, AI/ML, biogeochemistry, and environmental modeling.
• Lead and contribute to peer-reviewed publications, presentations, data products, and proposal development.

Skills

Fortran

Python

R

Julia

MATLAB

Statistics

Machine learning

Scientific writing

Presentation skills

Education

PhD in ecosystem ecology or related field

Job description

University of Oklahoma invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in grassland ecosystem modeling, focusing on the Microbial-Enzyme Decomposition (MEND) model to predict soil carbon dynamics. The role includes data assimilation from diagnostic models and remote sensing to improve prognostic simulations.

The successful candidate will collaborate across ecology, remote sensing, and AI/ML to generate high-resolution carbon flux data products and contribute to publications and