Join Our Team
Open Positions:
Monterey Bay Climate Adaptation Planning Post-doc
Stanford University, The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, and The University of Minnesota together seek a climate adaptation-planning specialist for the Natural Capital Project (NatCap). In collaboration with Stanford’s Center for Ocean Solutions and The Nature Conservancy of California, we are working to help various decision-makers in Monterey Bay to include natural capital in climate adaptation planning for coastal communities. We seek a multi-talented individual for a 1-year position to help us apply marine InVEST, a spatially-explicit tool that tracks the production and valuation of ecosystem services, in the Monterey Bay region. The successful candidate will interact with local decision-makers and stakeholders, amass the best available local data, parameterize and run InVEST models, and clearly communicate results to diverse audiences. Multiple types of disciplinary expertise will be considered (e.g. ecology, oceanography, natural resource economics, coastal engineering). The position is based at Stanford University with Gretchen Daily, Mary Ruckelshaus (NatCap Managing Director), and Anne Guerry (NatCap lead scientist).
Required Qualifications
A Ph.D. in ecology, oceanography, natural resource economics, coastal engineering or a related field
Excellent communication and computer skills
Strong quantitative skills
Experience working with collaborators from diverse backgrounds and capacity and interest to work with interdisciplinary teams
Desired Qualifications
Experience working with stakeholders and/or decision-makers in real decision contexts
Adept at GIS, especially for coastal and marine ecosystems
Experience with climate change science, modeling, adaptation strategies, and/or assessing impacts to humans and ecosystems
Experience with the ecological, physical and/or social environment of Monterey Bay and surrounding communities
More information on the project, a partnership among Stanford University, WWF, TNC and the University of Minnesota can be found at www.naturalcapitalproject.org. Stanford University is committed to equal opportunity through affirmative action in employment and we are especially eager to identify minority persons and women with appropriate qualifications.
Application process: For full consideration, send applications including a cover letter, CV, and the names of three references to anne.guerry@stanford.edu with the subject line "Monterey Bay Position." We will begin reviewing applications on January 15, 2012, the position will remain open until filled.
Economist Post-doc
Stanford University, The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, and The University of Minnesota together seek an economist for the Natural Capital Project. We are expanding and improving tools to model and map the flow of multiple ecosystem services across land- and seascapes. This position will focus on coastal and marine systems. We seek an imaginative individual for a 1-year position to help us better integrate biophysical models with socio-economic models. The successful candidate will develop, expand and improve economic models for valuation and resource-management purposes that link to production function models of key marine ecosystem services (fisheries, tourism and recreation, shoreline protection, etc.). Together, these models make up InVEST, a spatially-explicit tool that tracks the production and valuation of ecosystem services. The successful candidate will work in a large, interdisciplinary team to create and improve simple, scientifically robust models that have outputs that resonate with stakeholders and decision-makers. Beyond developing and improving models, the successful candidate will also analyze data to parameterize these models in diverse sites and decision-making contexts. The position is based at Stanford University with Gretchen Daily, Mary Ruckelshaus (NatCap Managing Director), and Anne Guerry (NatCap lead scientist). Steve Polasky (U. Minnesota) will provide additional guidance. The position will require extensive interaction with interdisciplinary teams and travel.
Required Qualifications
Ph.D. in environmental or agricultural and natural resource economics or a related field
Experience conducting empirical analyses related to market and non-market valuation
Experience developing spatially-explicit economic models in the context of natural resource and or land-use management
Experience integrating economic models with other biological, physical, or social models
Experience working with collaborators from diverse backgrounds and capacity and interest to work with interdisciplinary teams
Excellent communication and computer skills
More information on the project, a partnership among Stanford University, WWF, TNC and the University of Minnesota can be found at www.naturalcapitalproject.org. Stanford University is committed to equal opportunity through affirmative action in employment and we are especially eager to identify minority persons and women with appropriate qualifications.
Application process:
For full consideration, send applications including a cover letter, CV, and the names of three references to anne.guerry@stanford.edu with the subject line "Economist." We will begin reviewing applications on January 15, 2012; the position will remain open until filled.
Postdoctoral Researcher - Hydrology
Are you a hydrologist or ecologist with a desire to work in the Stanford community to make game-changing contributions at the nexus of water, development and conservation? Do you have a personal desire to solve some of our biggest environmental problems at local and global scales? Do you thrive in an environment where your ideas are refined by interactions with experts from other fields, and where your work is tested and applied in real-world decisions?
The Natural Capital Project (NatCap) is a partnership among Stanford University's Woods Institute for the Environment, University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment, The Nature Conservancy, and World Wildlife Fund developing tools to model and map the distribution of biodiversity and the flow of multiple ecosystem services across land- and seascapes. Our freshwater team is based in Stanford, CA and we have active partners around the globe. We now have an open position for a postdoctoral researcher starting Jan 1st 2012. Come help us make a global impact on major decisions about human well-being, sustainability, and the use of our lands and waters. Duties will include developing, implementing, testing and reporting in peer-reviewed journals our water-related ecosystem services models.
Required Qualifications:
Ph.D. in hydrology, ecohydrology, agricultural engineering, civil engineering, quantitative/spatial ecology or a related field.
Established publication record in peer-reviewed journals.
Strong interest in, and commitment to using science to inform policy.
Experience in ArcGIS geographic information system and familiarity with MATLAB, Python, FORTRAN, C++, VB, or Java.
Experience working with collaborators from diverse backgrounds and the capacity and interest to work with interdisciplinary teams.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with both technical and non-technical audiences.
Interested applicants are invited to send CV and cover letter by email to Guy Ziv, Scientific Development Lead: guyziv@stanford.edu.
This is a postdoc position based at Stanford. Stanford University is committed to equal opportunity through affirmative action in employment and we are especially eager to identify minority persons and women with appropriate qualifications.
Ecosystem Services Analyst - Postdoctoral Fellow
(Application Review begins November 28, 2011)We are a partnership among Stanford University’s Woods Institute for the Environment, University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment, The Nature Conservancy, and World Wildlife Fund developing tools to model and map the distribution of biodiversity and the flow of multiple ecosystem services across land- and seascapes. We seek a creative and talented ecologist or economist with strong analytical and modeling skills to advance the development, testing and application of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystem service models.
We are a collaborative group of researchers and practitioners who seek someone with expertise in the development of simple models through regression analyses and/or simplification of complex models to develop ranking models for multiple freshwater and terrestrial ecosystem services. These models will identify where ecosystem service change is most likely to happen across landscapes. They will be the backbone for decision support tools that are being tailored for water fund design and permitting requirements in Latin America and beyond. The successful candidate will first focus on water-related services such as flood mitigation, water quality regulation, erosion control and others, then turn to terrestrial services (such as carbon sequestration, timber production, non-timber forest products, forage production, livestock production, pollination, etc). We seek applicants with diverse experience in the development and use of statistical analyses and/or models to inform natural resource decisions, and with a desire to think creatively about a broad set of biophysical and social processes.
Our core team is based in Seattle, Washington, DC, University of Minnesota and at Stanford, and we have active partners around the globe. This position is housed at Stanford University and will be advised by Gretchen Daily and Heather Tallis.
Principal Responsibilities:
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Develop simple models for identifying where management changes e.g. protection, restoration, development) will have the largest positive or negative impacts.
Review literature and identify existing ranking approaches for modeling individual ecosystem services.
Using observed data or calibrated dynamic models, derive ranking models for ecosystem services that do not yet have applicable, published approaches.
Validate simple models against established, more sophisticated modeling approaches in several project areas
Work with software development team to transition models into decision support tool.
Participate in stakeholder meetings where tool and underlying models are applied in trial water fund design and permitting and mitigation applications.
Incorporate feedback from stakeholder meetings into model structure.
Present work at academic and practitioner conferences and workshops.
Required Qualifications:
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Ph.D. in ecology, natural resource economics, agronomy, conservation science or related fields.
5 years experience in statistical analysis or model development and application, preferably for both primary research and practical settings.
Established publication record in diverse, peer-reviewed journals.
Strong interest in, and commitment to using science to inform policy.
Experience working with collaborators from diverse backgrounds and the capacity and interest to work with interdisciplinary teams.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with both technical and non-technical audiences.
Ability to produce rigorous analyses under tight deadlines
Preferred familiarity with geographic information systems (ArcGIS, GRASS, etc)
Term: December 1, 2011 through November 30, 2013 and beyond, contingent upon funding.
Location:
The position is a postdoctoral research position located in Palo Alto, California at Stanford University and will require extensive interaction with interdisciplinary teams and travel in Latin America.
How to Apply:
Send a cover letter describing your experience and interest, as well as a CV and contact information for three references to gail.kaiser@stanford.edu with ECOSYSTEM SERVICES ANALYST in the subject. We will begin reviewing applications November 28, 2011 and the position will remain open until filled.
Stanford University is committed to equal opportunity through affirmative action in employment and we are especially eager to identify minority persons and women with appropriate qualifications.