Postdoctoral Research Associate in Plant Ecophysiology

University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Lincoln (NE); On-site; USD 58,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Plant Ecophysiology in the Smith Ecophysiology Lab. The appointee will conduct empirical and modeling studies on plant responses to environmental variability, and will mentor graduate and undergraduate students.

Research topics include acclimation to global change, leaf-to-ecosystem scaling, and plant-microbial interactions, with access to growth chambers, greenhouse facilities, and UNL's High

Qualifications

• Ph.D. by the start date.
• Expertise in plant physiology, physiological ecology, global change biology, ecological modeling, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Carry out empirical and modeling research examining plant physiological responses and feedbacks to environmental variability.
• Mentor graduate and undergraduate students in the lab.
• Develop projects overlapping with lab themes such as plant acclimation to global change and leaf-to-ecosystem scaling.

Skills

Plant physiology

Physiological ecology

Global change biology

Ecological modeling

Quantitative skills

Education

Ph.D. by start date

Job description

Working Title

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Plant Ecophysiology

Department

School of Biological Sciences-1076

Description Of Work

A postdoctoral position examining plant physiological responses to environmental variability is available in the lab of Dr. Nick Smith in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln ( UNL ).

The Smith Ecophysiology Lab examines the responses of plants and ecosystems to change in abiotic conditions and the resulting feedbacks from these responses to global change. The successful applicant will join a vibrant group of researchers in the lab, which is housed within the Beadle Center at UNL . The postdoc will work closely with an international group of collaborators focused on improving understanding and predictability of plant physiological processes and their feedbacks to ecosystem processes under global change.

The postdoctoral research associate will be given freedom to explore questions and develop projects pertinent to their interests and experiences. These should overlap with one or more of the following ongoing themes in the lab:

• Plant physiological acclimation to global change
• Development of quantitative plant ecophysiological theory
• The impact of belowground resource availability on plant physiological processes
• Scaling from leaves to the globe
• Interactions between plants and microbial symbionts and the impact on physiology
• Species and functional type specific responses to global change
• Land surface and Earth system modeling
• Plant resource uptake and use optimization

Within the lab and at UNL , the postdoc will have access to state-of-the-art ecophysiological equipment, growth chamber and greenhouse facilities, as well as computational facilities both within the lab and through the University's High Performance Computing Center. The Smith Ecophysiology Lab is also part of the Nutrient Network.

The successful candidate will carry out empirical and modeling research examining plant physiological responses and feedbacks to environmental variability. The specific projects will be tailored to the individual's interests and expertise. The position will also involve mentoring of graduate and undergraduate students in the lab.

Minimum Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. by the start date.
• Expertise in plant physiology, physiological ecology, global change biology, ecological modeling, or related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience carrying out manipulation experiments examining plant physiological responses.
• Strong quantitative skills.
• Ability to start by or before January 1, 2027. However, later start dates may be possible.