Postdoctoral Research Associate I

The Babst lab in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at The University of Arizona is seeking a qualified and highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate with expertise in conducting research on plant ecology in arid, semi-arid, and dry, sub-humid environments. The lab uses a variety of field ecological, remote sensing, and laboratory-based approaches to assess vegetation growth and functioning in natural and anthropogenic dryland settings. The successful candidate will conduct collaborative research on the associations between plant morphological and physiological traits and substrate properties on legacy mine sites. As part of a team, the person will conduct outdoor fieldwork and establish a greenhouse experiment where they will integrate and analyze plant phenotyping, portable X-ray fluorescence assessments, 3-D SfM/LiDAR, multispectral and hyperspectral remotely sensed data, and soil physicochemical measurements. The selected appointee will work under the general guidance of Dr. Flurin Babst and will conduct their research in close collaboration with the Arizona Remote Sensing Center led by Dr. Willem van Leeuwen and with the Plant-Soil-Environment lab led by Dr. Alicja Babst-Kostecka.

Outstanding U of A benefits include health, dental, vision, and life insurance; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; U of A/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; access to U of A recreation and cultural activities; and more!

• Planning, initiating and managing manipulative greenhouse experiments.
• Conducting ecological field studies at mining-impacted sites.
• Collaboration with lab members and project partners; project leadership on research ideas and direction.
• Participating in research meetings; leading and contributing to team discussions.
• Supervising undergraduate and graduate student research.
• Publishing results in peer reviewed journals; oral or poster presentations at relevant conferences and outreach events.
• Contributing to grant proposals submitted by the team.

• Ph.D. by time of hire in plant sciences, environmental sciences, ecology, geography, biochemistry or related fields.
• Hands-on experience and expertise in performing and managing greenhouse experiments: plant growth, phenotyping, and associated statistical analyses.
• Experience with 3-D SfM/LiDAR and hyperspectral remote sensing in laboratory and/or outdoor settings and associated data processing and analyses.
• A demonstrated track record of project leadership and relevant publications.

• Prior research experience in two or more of the following areas: advanced statistical analyses integrating multiple data streams and variables, plant metal tolerance & hyperaccumulation, plant-soil interactions, soil physical & chemical analysis, hydroponic plant culture, portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, hyperspectral remote sensing, Mine Safety and Health Administration new miner certificate.