RESEARCH ECOLOGIST GS-0408-12 (PERMANENT)

This is a Pre-Announcement Notice. The Northern Research Station (NRS) plans to advertise the following position soon. Please circulate this outreach notice to as many potential candidates as possible; we are seeking a diverse pool of qualified applicants, and therefore especially encourage applications by groups under-represented in science and in the US Forest Service.  The online outreach notice can be found at this link. Information on the vacancy announcement will be posted at this link at a later date, as well as being sent to all who respond to this pre-announcement notice. If you would like to be notified of the vacancy please respond to the online outreach link above, or send the optional form at the end of this document to Erik Lilleskov, erik.a.lilleskov@usda.gov

About this Position

This is a research position is with the USDA Forest Service, NRS, Climate, Fire and Carbon Cycle Sciences Research Work Unit (NRS-06) and would be located at one of several locations within the NRS footprint. As a research position, it has the potential for promotion to GS-15 or ST level via evaluation under the Research Grade Evaluation Guide.

We are seeking a scientist to join our team to pursue basic and applied ecosystem modeling research. This position has the primary responsibility of leading multi-scale ecosystem modeling research, working with program scientists to facilitate the integration of empirical and modeling research results into products that inform ecosystem management for adaptation to, and mitigation of, climate change.

The scientist’s specific research objectives are to:

• Seek to improve model simulation and prediction of sources and sinks of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O, etc.) and diverse biophysical processes in forest ecosystems at large spatial scales.
• Lead development and implementation of process-based ecosystem models that evaluate climate forcing.
• Provide leadership on linking empirical measurements, remote sensing products, and state of the art process-level and earth system models of biogeochemical and biophysical feedbacks between natural terrestrial ecosystems (primarily forests and wetlands) and the climate.
• Collaborate with others to incorporate model outputs into decision-support tools to inform management and policy decisions and produce spatially-explicit predictions of forest feedbacks to climate change via biogeochemical (e.g., greenhouse gases) and biophysical (e.g., albedo, evapotranspiration) drivers across specific management units, entire regions and the nation for use by researchers and managers.

The scientist employs these models on diverse geographical expanses and explores the impact of alternative climate change trajectories, associate stressors (e.g., drought) and disturbances (e.g., pest outbreaks, fire, windstorms), and land management scenarios on the ability of natural ecosystems to adapt to and mitigate climate change. Furthermore, the scientist uses models to evaluate potential alternative strategies for achieving forest and wetland-based climate change mitigation in the context of non-stationarity of environmental conditions and permanence risks.

The scientist collaborates with empirical scientists to inform requisite input data and model criteria, and also calibrates, parameterizes, and validates the models.  Furthermore, they complement and take advantage of existing efforts to quantify forest impacts on climate via stock change measurement and modeling, e.g., the work of the USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis program (FIA). They also take advantage of existing NRS expertise in species distribution modeling of trees and pests, empirical estimation of ecosystem-atmosphere exchange of greenhouse gases using eddy covariance and related approaches, and broader NRS strengths in landscape and ecosystem modeling (e.g., using LANDIS/PNET).

Research team. The scientist is a member of the Northern Research Station (NRS) Research Work Unit NRS-06, Climate, Fire, and Carbon Cycle Sciences.  The unit's mission is to develop and provide the basic science, quantitative methods, and technology needed to make decisions about forest ecosystems and the atmosphere related to climate change, fire, and carbon. These three broad topic areas are integrated through crosscutting problems that address quantitative methods for ecosystem science and processes of climate variability and change. The following are examples of the types of problems addressed by this team relevant to the current position: 1) understand how climate variability, management, and disturbance affect forest carbon, water, and energy exchange, 2) improve forest carbon management and increase understanding of belowground ecosystem processes, and 3) understand how changes in forests and forest management affect the climate system. Our group includes a strong empirical and modeling ecosystem research team as well as the Northern Institute for Applied Climate Science (NIACS) and the Northern Forest and Northeastern Climate Hubs.

The scientist focuses on research in the areas of climate change modeling in the context of mitigation and adaptation. As such, the scientist will be part of multiple teams. These include the team of empiricists and modelers in NRS-06 and the broader NRS working to integrate empirical data and models to improve our ability to predict both climate impacts on ecosystems and to develop the information needed to guide sustainable management activities that can aid in mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change.

Additionally, the scientist will work with science delivery team members focused on providing tools useful to land managers and policymakers seeking to evaluate the impact of management actions on climate. Other teams could include work across mission areas within the Forest Service, with other agencies, and with university partners.

About the Northern Research Station

The Northern Research Station serves a 20-state region composed of the Northeast and Midwest.  The Station improves people’s lives and sustains natural resources through research and development.  The Northern Research Station has more than 400 employees, including 134 scientists, at 24 field locations and 22 Experimental Forests.  More information on the Northern Research Station is on our website

To apply for this position:

The purpose of this Outreach Notice is to identify the potential applicant pool for this position.  Responses received from this outreach notice will be used to assess the potential application pool and design a formal recruitment to be posted at a later date.  We will automatically send the position announcement when it opens to those who respond to this Outreach Notice.

• To apply, first respond to this Outreach Notice to be put on a list for the vacancy announcement, either online, or by sending the Interest form below to Erik Lilleskov, erik.a.lilleskov@usda.gov
• Once the vacancy announcement has been shared, go to USAJOBS https://www.usajobs.gov/
  • You must set up or have an existing USAJOBS profile.
  • Search/locate the announcement number.
  • Select position(s) and location(s) you are interested in and begin the application process.
  • You must complete and submit your application by the closing date specified on the announcement.

Optional Outreach Interest Form

Research Ecologist GS-0408-12 (permanent)

Duty station: Multiple possible locations within the NRS footprint

Respond By 4/05/2023 to Erik Lilleskov, erik.a.lilleskov@usda.gov

Name:

Mailing Address:

Telephone Number:

E-Mail Address

Are you currently a Federal Employee?

If yes:

       Type of appointment:  Permanent    Temporary   Term    Other______________________

     Current agency & location:

     Current title/series/grade: 

If no:

     Current employer:

     Current position title: 

If not a current permanent (Career or Career Conditional) employee, are you eligible to be hired under any of the following special authorities:

 Person with Disabilities

 Veterans Readjustment

 Veteran with 30% Compensable Disability

 Veteran’s Employment Opportunities Act of 1998

 Former Peace Corps Volunteer

 Student Employment Program

 Reinstatement Eligibility

 Other

How did you find out about this outreach? _______________________________________________________