Postdoctoral Fellow

Postdoctoral Fellow

Network-enabled plant hydraulic and ecophysiology

School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Bloomington, Indiana

We are seeking a highly-motivated postdoctoral fellow to help us launch a new global water potential network (“PSInet”, and to conduct research that harnesses information from multiple environmental observation networks, including a new PSInet water potential database, and other networks that aggregate and redistribute information on ecosystem carbon and water fluxes and eco- physiological traits.

Position Summary

The water potential of soils and plants directly controls the flow of water through ecosystems and is a key regulator of the risk of plant mortality during droughts and heat waves. However, observations of water potential (commonly abbreviated with the Greek letter ‘Psi’) are frequently scarce, inaccessible, and plagued by methodological challenges that hinder the synthetic research necessary to anticipate, and prepare for, climate change impacts in natural and managed ecosystems. PSInet – a new network of data and people - will confront this information gap by: [1] promoting consistent collection and interpretation of water potential data through shared protocols, best practices, and early career training, [2] create an open, global database for plant and soil water potential time series, and [3] supporting the synthesis of the PSInet database by a diverse community of scientists and practitioners.

The postdoctoral fellow will play an integral role in developing and coordination PSInet activities in collaboration with a diverse, global community of scientists. The fellow will also work with PSInet team members to advance approaches for collecting and interpreting continuous measurements of plant water potential, in addition to other synthetic research topics within the scope of the PSInet initiative.

The postdoctoral fellow will be co-supervised by Dr. Kim Novick (Indiana University – Bloomington) and Dr. Steve Kannenberg (West Virginia University), with ample opportunities to collaborate with other members of the global PSInet community. The postdoctoral fellow will likely be based in Bloomington, Indiana or Morganton, West Virginia, but there is flexibility on location. The position is expected to last for 24 months beginning in late Summer of 2023.

Qualifications: The successful application will have earned a Ph.D. in environmental science or engineering, ecology, environmental informatics, or a related field at time of appointment. Other key qualifications include strong written and verbal communication skills, demonstrated experience organizing collaborative teams, and experience analyzing ecohydrological or ecophysiological time series data (e.g. flux tower data, sap flux data, water potential time series, etc).

Salary: Commensurate with experience. Full benefits included.

To apply, please submit: 1) a letter of application that explains how this position fits your experience and goals, 2) your curriculum vita, and 3) names of at least three references electronically to https://indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/12086. We will begin reviewing applications on July 31, 2023 and will continue until the position is filled. Please submit all materials before that deadline for full consideration. Inquiries regarding the position should be sent to: Dr. Kim Novick, knovick@indiana.edu or Dr. Steve Kannenberg, steven.kannenberg@mail.wvu.edu

Indiana University is an equal employment and affirmative action employer and a provider of ADA services. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment based on individual qualifications. Indiana University prohibits discrimination based on age, ethnicity, color, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, disability status or protected veteran status.