Dr. Chi Chen's lab at Rutgers' Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources (DEENR) is seeking a Post Doctoral Associate interested in the broad area of terrestrial ecosystem dynamics. Using a combination of ground-based, remote sensing and numerical model simulated data, the successful candidate will lead research on 1) developing new remote sensing theories and algorithms to monitor regional to global vegetation activities; 2) identifying and constraining key processes of how vegetation interacts with the terrestrial carbon, water, and energy cycles; and 3) understanding the drivers (including anthropogenetic and natural) and climatic consequences of regional to global ecosystem dynamics.

Dr. Chen's research on ecosystem dynamics aims to benefit land management practices and provide guidance for nature-based climate solutions, including but not limited to cooling surface temperatures, enhancing net terrestrial carbon sink, securing food/agriculture production, improving urban planning, and protecting the terrestrial ecosystem under climate change and human activities.

The candidate must have a Ph.D. by the time of appointment.

Candidates with background in Earth / Environmental Sciences, Ecohydrology, Geography, Meteorology and Climatology, Remote Sensing / GIS, or a closely related field are encouraged to apply. Candidates with knowledge in quantitative remote sensing, remote sensing application, land surface energy balance, plant physiology/hydraulics, photosynthesis modeling, carbon cycle modeling, canopy process modeling, are preferred. Candidates with skills in high-performance computing in Unix based operating systems and scientific computing languages (e.g., Matlab, Python, R) are preferred. The candidate is expected to be a self-motivated, problem-solving researcher, who will write manuscripts for publication in top-ranked journals, as well as give presentations at regional, national, and international conferences.

Rutgers University follows a policy to provide affirmative action and equal employment opportunity to all its employees and applicants for employment. As a university, Rutgers is committed to fostering and maintaining a diverse and welcoming workplace. The PI will provide the successful candidate an office space, a computer workstation, access to high-performance computing clusters, and other supports related to the posted academic position. The successful candidate will access Rutgers university-wide resources and benefit from potential collaboration of team projects within Rutgers and other institutions. DEENR is the home department of an active cluster of researchers at the Rutgers Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis.

Interested applicants should contact Dr. Chi Chen (chi.chen@rutgers.edu). Please include your latest CV and names of three references. The position start date can be as early as in Spring 2023 but is negotiable depending on the candidate's availability. Rutgers University offers a competitive salary and benefits package. The initial contract duration is 12 months, with the possibility of extension depending on the candidate's performance and funding. More information on Dr. Chen's research: https://sites.google.com/site/chenchichichen/.

The School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, located on the George H. Cook Campus, is one of the largest schools of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. We pursue excellence in research, teaching, and outreach in areas of study that address the biological spectrum from molecules to ecosystems. Our emphasis is on both the fundamental sciences and the social and human dimensions. The Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources is an interdisciplinary department specializing in ecology, evolution, and natural resource conservation. We study the evolutionary origins and maintenance of biodiversity, conserving and restoring native ecosystems, and issues of global change such as managing natural resources within urban ecosystems. This is a grant-funded position whose eligibility for renewal will be contingent upon available funding and satisfactory performance.

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, military service, or any other category protected by law. As an institution, Rutgers values the diversity of background and opinion, and prohibits discrimination or harassment on the basis of any legally protected class in the areas of hiring, recruitment, promotion, transfer, demotion, training, compensation, pay, fringe benefits, layoff, termination, or any other terms and conditions of employment. All job offers are contingent upon successful pre-employment background screening prior to commencement of employment.