Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Ecological Data Science

DiverseScholar; Pomona (CA); Hybrid; USD 71,000 - 82,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work possibility

Job summary

The Yoder Lab in CSUN's Department of Biology invites applications for a postdoctoral research fellow to collaborate on an NSF-funded ecological data science project.

The successful candidate will refine and apply the TARDIS pipeline in R to study plant populations under environmental variation, work with PI Jeremy Yoder and Yale collaborators, and help mentor undergraduate researchers.

Hybrid work is possible; start date ideally before 2027 Q1.

Qualifications

• A doctorate with dissertation research in plant ecology, evolution, or related field.
• Experience with data science and programming in R, especially working with ecological and/or geospatial data.
• Research interests aligned with the project aims and lab focus.
• Excellent written communication skills and familiarity with geographical ecology.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate on the NSF project pipeline and refine the TARDIS analysis workflow.
• Refine and apply the TARDIS pipeline for ecological data at plant populations across space and time.
• Assist in managing a course-based undergraduate research experience involving students building TARDIS models.

Skills

R programming

Data science

Geospatial data

Plant ecology

Education

Doctorate (PhD) in Plant Ecology / related field

Tools

TARDIS package for R

R

Job description

Department of Biology

The Yoder Lab in the Department of Biology at California State University Northridge (CSUN) invites applicants for the role of postdoctoral research fellow. The successful applicant will take a collaborating role in a new NSF-funded project in ecological data science, refining and applying an analysis pipeline, TARDIS, to study plant populations’ responses to environmental variation over space and time. They will work with PI Jeremy Yoder (CSUN) and collaborators at Yale University to complete development of a TARDIS package for R, use simulation studies to better understand the pipeline’s capabilities, and assist in management of a course-based undergraduate research experience, in which students will build TARDIS models of individual plant species. The full project description is available for download here.

The Successful Applicant Will Have:

• A doctorate with dissertation research in plant ecology, evolutionary biology, or a closely related field, or a planned doctoral dissertation defense and graduation date prior to starting the position;


• Demonstrated experience with data science and programming in R, especially working with ecological and/or geospatial data;


• Research interests aligned with the project aims and/or the Yoder Lab’s research focus;


• Excellent written communication skills and strong familiarity with \"classic\" and contemporary research on geographical ecology

The most competitive applicant will also have demonstrated experience in one or more of the following:

• Species distribution modeling;


• Applications of machine learning in ecology;


• Empirical or simulation/theory studies of population demography;


• Phylogenetic comparative methods;


• Developing and publishing R packages

Hybrid work will be possible for many planned project activities, but the postdoc must live within a commutable distance of the CSUN campus at their position start date, and be able to attend meetings in person on campus multiple days per week. The starting date is negotiable, but would ideally be no later than the first quarter of 2027.

The Project Plan And Budget Provide:

• Up to three years of salary, pending satisfactory progress in the first year, starting at $71,400/year with benefits and a planned COLA as specified by University policy;


• Support for travel to attend conferences and to meet with collaborators at Yale University;


• A postdoctoral mentoring plan, in which the postdoctoral fellow will work with PI Yoder to identify and pursue useful professional development opportunities, and to gauge progress towards project aims and their long-term career goals.

CSUN is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination on the basis of Age, Disability (physical or mental), Gender, Gender Identity (including Nonbinary or Transgender), Gender Expression, Genetic Information, Marital Status, Medical Condition, Nationality, Pregnancy or related conditions, Race or Ethnicity (including color, caste, or ancestry), Religion or Religious Creed, Sex (including Sex Stereotyping or Sex Characteristics), Sexual Orientation, and Veteran or Military Status. Our nondiscrimination policy is set forth in the Interim CSU Nondiscrimination Policy. Reasonable accommodations will be provided for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose by contacting Recruitment Services at 818-677-2101.