Post-doctoral Research Associate - Rangeland

The Post-Doctoral Research Associate will contribute to the integrated research land-grant mission of the home unit and IANR, as an effective scholar and citizen, including supporting student recruitment and IANR science literacy.

The incumbent will join a multi-university collaboration to lead a study on the state of heterogeneity in U.S. rangelands. The Prairie Project (https://www.theprairieproject.org/) is a $10 million USDA AFRI grant that connects leading faculty experts on grassland conservation from the University of Nebraska, Oklahoma State University, and Texas A&M University. The incumbent will:

• Add to the development, testing, and implementation of decision-support tools for rangeland conservation, which have been widely adopted by federal and state land management agencies to support regional planning and prioritization of conservation investments.
• Gain valuable experience in modern rangeland data science and serve as the project lead for analyzing heterogeneity on U.S. rangelands.

The incumbent will be using data derived from the Rangeland Analysis Platform (http://rangelands.app), the nationally leading data science platform for rangeland monitoring, to analyze 35+ years of rangeland vegetation data.

The incumbent will be joining a highly integrated team that spans research, education, and extension efforts. The postdoc is expected to contribute to the production and implementation of high-impact education and extension programs that are leading to measurable progress in the perceptions and practices of land managers, the knowledge and skills of next-generation professions, and the general understanding of rangelands within the public at-large.

In addition to connecting with stakeholder, agency, and industry partners, the postdoc is expected to publish in high-quality, high-impact, peer-reviewed journals; participate in internationally themed scientific conferences; and develop online decision support tools derived from the postdoc’s analysis and research.

In addition to the above-described duties, the individual will be expected to accept committee assignments, reporting responsibilities, and other special ad hoc assignments as requested at the administrative unit, college/division, institute, and/or university level.

Minimum Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Rangeland Ecology, Natural Resources, Landscape Ecology, or a related field.
• Strong history of publishing peer reviewed scientific literature.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience working with large, spatial datasets.
• Strong, demonstrated experience working with Google Earth Engine, GIS, R, Python, and/or other computing languages relevant to working with large datasets.

Recognizing that diversity enhances creativity, innovation, impact, and a sense of belonging, the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) and the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture are committed to creating learning, research, Extension programming, and work environments that are inclusive of all forms of diversity. Consistent with the University’s N2025 Strategic Plan, we see every person and every interaction as important to our collective well-being and our ability to deliver on our mission.

As an EO/AA employer, the University of Nebraska considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation. See https://www.unl.edu/equity/notice-nondiscrimination

Job Type: Full-time

Work Location: In person