Job Description

Postdoctoral Research Associate - Bioresource Science & Engineering Group

Requisition Id 8564

Overview:

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the largest US Department of Energy science and energy laboratory, conducting basic and applied research to deliver transformative solutions to compelling problems in energy and security.

We are seeking up to four Postdoctoral Research Associates who will support the Bioresource Science & Engineering Group in the Environmental Sciences Division (ESD) of the Biological and Environmental Systems Science Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). You would join a highly qualified team of economists, engineers, and natural scientists in the Bioresource Science & Engineering Group (BSE) who develop strategies for using agricultural and forest resources to advance deacarbonization and sustainability goals. We develop and apply quantitative tools to advance our understanding of how bioresources can be sustainably and reliably produced, delivered, and utilized to enable expansion of the US and global bioeconomy while also preserving ecosystem services. This work is supported by multiple sponsors including the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and the Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI).

ESD is an interdisciplinary research and development organization with more than 60 years of achievement in local, regional, national, and international environmental research. Our vision is to expand scientific knowledge and develop innovative strategies and technologies that will strengthen the nation’s leadership in creating solutions to help sustain the Earth’s natural resources. Our scientists conduct research, develop technology, and perform analyses to understand and assess responses of environmental systems at the environment-human interface and the consequences of alternative energy and environmental strategies.

Major Duties/Responsibilities:

The Bioresource Science & Engineering Group has multiple postdoctoral research opportunities, including:

Forest economics - This researcher, with a background in forest economics, forest fire science, silviculture, or a related field will contribute to analyses of silvicultural strategies to reduce forest fuel loads and associated fire risk while providing biomass resources for the bioeconomy. In the near term, it is expected that the successful candidate will collaborate with the USFS to implement the BioSum model (https://www.fs.usda.gov/pnw/tools/biosum-bioregional-inventory-originated-simulation-under-management) to quantify the economic availability of woody biomass and the associated effects on stand inventory, forest fuels, and fire risk.

Agro-ecosystem modeling – This researcher, with experience in spatial analysis and process-based modeling, will contribute to analyses and modeling of agricultural land quality, marginal land availability to determine where bioenergy crops might be produced to maximize yields and soil carbon enhancement. The successful candidate will lead the development of a geospatial analysis workflow, supporting the integration of advanced process-based agro-ecosystem modeling. This position will support the ORNL Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI; https://cbi.ornl.gov/) and related projects.

Cover crops for biomass feedstocks – This researcher will assist in developing spatial yield maps and estimates of delivered costs for select cover crops throughout the US. This project includes modeling and data analysis to support optimization of regional cover crop selection and designing supply systems to collect, deliver, and preprocess these feedstocks for biofuel production.

International biomass sustainability assessment – This researcher, with experience in social international development, will apply understanding of climate change issues to support development of practical options to a achieve net-zero strategies in developing nations. This position supports interntional, multi-orgnizational teams to develop sustainability-based standards for the bioeconomy.

Basic Qualifications:

• A PhD in forestry, agricultural or natural resource economics, environmental science, ecology, biological or biosystems engineering, envornmental engineering, or a related field completed within the last 5 years

Preferred Qualifications:

• Candidates should possess strong analytical capabilities with experience in data analysis and visualization
• Experience in computational modeling and statistics is beneficial for some projects
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Motivated self-starter with the ability to work independently and to participate creatively in collaborative teams across the laboratory
• Ability to function well in a fast-paced research environment, set priorities to accomplish multiple tasks within deadlines, and adapt to ever changing needs

Please submit three letters of reference when applying to this position. You can upload these directly to your application or have them sent to postdocrecruitment@ornl.gov with the position title and number referenced in the subject line.

Instructions to upload documents to your candidate profile:

• Login to your account via jobs.ornl.gov
• View Profile
• Under the My Documents section, select Add a Document

Applicants cannot have received their Ph.D. more than five years prior to the date of application and must complete all degree requirements before starting their appointment. The appointment length will be for up to 24 months with the potential for extension. Initial appointments and extensions are subject to performance and the availability of funding.

Moving can be overwhelming and expensive. UT-Battelle offers a generous relocation package to ease the transition process. Domestic and international relocation assistance is available for certain positions. If invited to interview, be sure to ask your Recruiter (Talent Acquisition Partner) for details.

For more information about our benefits, working here, and living here, visit the “About” tab at jobs.ornl.gov.

This position will remain open for a minimum of 5 days after which it will close when a qualified candidate is identified and/or hired.

We accept Word (.doc, .docx), Adobe (unsecured .pdf), Rich Text Format (.rtf), and HTML (.htm, .html) up to 5MB in size. Resumes from third party vendors will not be accepted; these resumes will be deleted and the candidates submitted will not be considered for employment.

If you have trouble applying for a position, please email ORNLRecruiting@ornl.gov.

ORNL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, are encouraged to apply. UT-Battelle is an E-Verify employer.

*Please mention you saw this ad on AcademicJobs.*

Apply Now