Postdoctoral Associate in Socioecological Outcomes and Monitoring of Restoration in Dryland Ecosystems

We are recruiting a postdoctoral associate who will work on an NSF DISES-funded project titled “Socioecological Outcomes of Restoration: Discovering the interplay among biophysical, socioeconomic, and institutional dimensions of dryland forest-grassland landscapes.”

This is a collaborative research project between Penn State (Ida Djenontin and Erica Smithwick), Duke University (Tong Qiu), University of Minnesota (Forrest Fleischman), University of Witswatersrand (Wayne Twine) and LUANAR (Judith Kamoto). The postdoctoral associate will report to Ida Djenontin (main mentor) while benefiting from a co-mentorship arrangement across disciplines to strengthen applications and further learning of integrative methods.

The postdoctoral associate will focus on analyzing the socio-ecological impacts of ecosystem restoration in mosaic forest-grassland ecosystems and design appropriate monitoring frameworks, in collaboration with scientists located at several institutions in the US, Africa, and beyond whose goals include understanding tradeoffs in social and ecological outcomes.

The work will involve analyzing empirical primary social and ecological data on ecosystem restoration processes and outcomes collected in Malawi and South Africa from (i) household and community surveys, (ii) semi-structured qualitative interviews, (iii) ecological surveys from forests and farms, (iv) remote sensing of land cover change, and (v) other secondary data. The specific expertise, skills, and interest of the candidate will further determine this process. Deliverables expected from this position include the generation of both integrative scientific research publications and practical policy insights. The incumbent will also coordinate with other members of the research team and engage in outreach.

The postdoctoral associate will receive training in scientific publication, grant-writing and outreach, relevant research techniques and skills, and have opportunities to build connections with broader networks of scholars studying restoration social science in general, and particularly the network of ecosystem restoration scientists collaborating on this project.

• Analyzing data on ecosystem restoration and synthesizing secondary data and information to produce research products including scientific publications and policy briefs.
• Support overall planning and logistics of the team to develop and gain leadership skills. This includes assisting with meeting coordination, meeting minutes, and supporting the development of the annual technical report.
• Support engagement efforts with a broader research community funded by this grant, organizing and assisting with science-policy outreach efforts (including peer training), presenting research and & presentations across Africa and the US related to this research.
• As scholars in advanced training status, Post-Doctoral Associates devote five percent of their effort to pursue professional and career development opportunities (e.g., seminars, workshops) outside the scope of their assigned research responsibilities. The nature and content of professional and career development opportunities is at the discretion of the Post-Doctoral Associate who can seek advice from the direct mentor and other project team members.