Washington State University’s Agricultural, Natural, and Human Systems Modeling group seeks applications for a post-doctoral associate (or a qualified post-masters research associate) with broad interests in facilitating decision support at the intersection of climate, agriculture and natural resources issues in the Pacific Northwest U.S. The position will be based in Pullman, WA with the Department of Biological Systems Engineering and will work in affiliation with the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources as well. It offers the opportunity to work in a trans-disciplinary environment with intellectual engagement from colleagues with diverse backgrounds in Research, Extension, and Decision Support.
As soon as possible
Develop/apply models and decision support tools that help better understand and manage for weather/climate related risks for agriculture and water resources management. Assimilate remotely-sensed data into models and decision support frameworks. Explore visualization and communication mechanisms that enhance utility for a diverse stakeholder group including producers, ag professionals, and federal/state/local agencies.
● Develop/apply biophysical/empirical models and decision support tools that help better understand and manage for weather/climate related risks for agriculture and water resources management
● Assimilate remotely-sensed data into models and decision support frameworks at the intersection of climate, agriculture and water
resources
● Perform independent research
● Publish in peer-reviewed journals
Duties
● Work with large amounts and diverse types of data and efficiently integrate them for modeling/analysis
● Understand sources of bias in data and identify ways to address them
● Develop meaningful visualizations that tell a story
● Push visualizations on web-based interfaces
Duties
● Support the logistics of specific research projects - coordinating team meetings, notes, action items, reports, and deliverables
● Support students and other team members in research as needed
MS in Civil/Environmental/BioSystems Engineering, Applied Math/Statistics, or related field.
The following skills and experiences are preferred.
● PhD in Civil/Environmental/BioSystems Engineering, Applied Math/Statistics, or related field
● Strong skills in model development, data analytics, machine learning, and visualization
● Proficient in platforms/tools/languages such as R, Python, Matlab, RShiny, QGIS, Google Earth Engine, version-control, processing large datasets
● Prior work at the intersection of climate,agriculture, and natural resources issues; prior work with satellite imagery
● Experience with the Linux operating system, high-performance computing, cloud computing, and parallel programming paradigms
● Experience with transdisciplinary work in close engagement with experts from multiple disciplines
The application must include:
● Cover letter describing your interests, career objectives, and fit for the position
● Curriculum Vitae
● Transcripts
● Copies of representative publications
● Names and contact information for three professional references.
Review of applications will start February, 2020. The position will remain open until filled.
Contact Kirti Rajagopalan for additional information.