Postdoctoral Landscape Ecologist

Cherokee Federal; Lafayette (LA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k)

Job summary

Cherokee United Services in Lafayette, LA, seeks a Postdoctoral Landscape Ecologist to advance coastal wetland research and assess responses to droughts, hurricanes, and freeze events. The role emphasizes integrating climate, geospatial, and ecological data for landscape-scale analyses.

The candidate will develop hypotheses, manage long-term datasets, and contribute to peer‑reviewed publications while collaborating with federal partners and stakeholders. Travel may be required.

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in ecology, geography, landscape ecology, coastal ecology, environmental science, or closely related field preferred.
• Experience in landscape ecology and coastal wetland dynamics required.
• Experience with extreme-event responses and remote sensing data preferred.
• Experience managing long-term ecological, geospatial, and remote-sensing datasets.
• Ability to develop research questions and publish results.
• Familiarity with metadata standards and reproducible research practices.

Responsibilities

• Conduct literature reviews on extreme events affecting coastal wetlands.
• Develop hypotheses on coastal wetland responses to droughts, hurricanes, and freeze events.
• Acquire, organize, document, and analyze abiotic and extreme-event data.
• Analyze long-term remote sensing data to quantify effects of extreme events on wetlands.
• Analyze long-term field-based ecological data to assess impacts on vegetation and ecosystem conditions.
• Apply landscape ecology methods to study stability, productivity, and vegetation cover.
• Integrate climate, vegetation-change, geospatial, and remote-sensing data for analyses.
• Maintain complete technical documentation and FGDC-compliant metadata.
• Produce publication-ready figures, tables, data sets, and reports.
• Communicate results to staff, partners, customers, and stakeholders.
• Prepare and deliver conference presentations and briefings.

Skills

Landscape ecology

Coastal wetlands

Remote sensing

Geospatial data analysis

Data management

Scientific writing

Collaboration

Project planning

Education

Doctoral degree in ecology or closely related field

Job description

Postdoctoral Landscape Ecologist

Cherokee United Services is seeking a Postdoctoral Landscape Ecologist in Lafayette, Louisiana. This role supports landscape-scale research on coastal wetland responses to extreme events, including droughts, hurricanes, and freeze events.

Compensation & Benefits:

Compensation is commensurate with experience.

Full-time benefits include Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), and other possible benefits as provided. Benefits are subject to change with or without notice.

Postdoctoral Landscape Ecologist Responsibilities Include:

• Conduct literature reviews focused on the effects of extreme events on coastal wetland ecosystems.
• Develop research hypotheses regarding coastal wetland responses to drought, hurricanes, freeze events, and other extreme environmental conditions.
• Acquire, organize, document, and analyze abiotic and extreme-event data that characterize environmental drivers of ecological change.
• Acquire and analyze long-term remote sensing data to quantify spatial and temporal effects of extreme events on coastal wetlands.
• Acquire and analyze long-term field-based ecological data to assess impacts of extreme events on coastal wetland vegetation and ecosystem conditions.
• Apply landscape ecology and coastal wetland ecosystem science to investigate wetland stability, plant productivity, vegetation performance, and vegetation coverage.
• Integrate historical climate, vegetation-change, geospatial, remote-sensing, and ecological datasets to support landscape-, regional-, and global-scale analyses.
• Develop and maintain complete technical documentation for datasets, analytical workflows, methodologies, and project activities.
• Produce Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)-compliant metadata for data products and deliverables.
• Maintain organized project records, timekeeping documentation, data logs, analytical code, and version-controlled project materials.
• Prepare publication-ready figures, tables, data sets, data releases, reports, and journal articles that summarize research methods, findings, and key conclusions.
• Communicate research results and findings to staff, project partners, customers, cooperators, and other stakeholders.
• Participate in and help facilitate project meetings, partner meetings, technical discussions, and research-planning activities.
• Present research findings through conference presentations, partner briefings, scientific meetings, and other outreach opportunities.
• Assist with technical aspects of proposal development, as assigned.
• Prepare and submit monthly status reports that describe project progress, completed work, issues encountered, proposed solutions, and upcoming activities.
• Follow established standard operating procedures, quality requirements, safety procedures, information-security requirements, and applicable federal policies.
• Support field-based data collection activities, when required.
• Travel to field sites, meetings, or partner locations as required by the task order.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

Experience, Education, Skills, and Abilities Requested:

• Doctoral degree in ecology, geography, landscape ecology, coastal ecology, environmental science, or a closely related field strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise in landscape ecology and coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics required.
• Experience evaluating ecological responses to extreme events, including droughts, hurricanes, freeze events, flooding, storms, or other climate-related disturbances preferred.
• Experience using remote sensing, geospatial data, historical climate datasets, vegetation-change products, or comparable environmental data sources required.
• Demonstrated ability to acquire, manage, analyze, and interpret long-term ecological, environmental, geospatial, and remote-sensing datasets.
• Experience conducting spatial and temporal analyses at landscape, regional, and/or global scales preferred.
• Strong knowledge of coastal wetland vegetation, wetland stability, plant productivity, vegetation performance, and ecosystem response to environmental stressors preferred.
• Ability to develop scientifically sound research questions, hypotheses, study approaches, and analytical methods.
• Demonstrated experience preparing peer-reviewed journal articles, technical reports, scientific figures, tables, data products, and presentations.
• Familiarity with federal scientific-data requirements, metadata standards, data documentation practices, and reproducible research methods.
• Ability to develop FGDC-compliant metadata and maintain thorough documentation for datasets, analytical procedures, and research products.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex scientific findings clearly to technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with federal scientists, partners, cooperators, customers, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound professional judgment, manage competing priorities, and deliver accurate, timely work.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to data quality, documentation, and customer specifications.
• Ability to successfully complete a federal background investigation and maintain required access credentials.
• Ability to meet fieldwork-related safety, physical, and travel requirements, as needed.

Company Information:

Cherokee Federal is a division of tribally owned federal contracting companies owned by Cherokee Nation Businesses. As a trusted partner to federal clients, Cherokee Federal rapidly builds innovative and advanced solutions across environmental science, national security and intelligence, cybersecurity, health care, logistics, and other mission-critical areas. One hundred percent of Cherokee Federal profits support Cherokee Nation citizens through health care, education, and job creation. To learn more, visit cherokee-federal.com.

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Cherokee Federal is a military friendly employer. Veterans and active military members transitioning to civilian careers are encouraged to apply.

• 5 Keywords:
  • Landscape Ecology
  • Coastal Wetlands
  • Remote Sensing
  • Extreme Events
  • Ecological Data Analysis

• 5 Similar Job Titles:
  • Coastal Wetland Scientist
  • Landscape Ecologist
  • Environmental Research Scientist
  • Geospatial EcologistCoastal Ecosystem Scientist

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All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to protected veteran status, disability, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. Many of our job openings require access to government buildings or military installations.