Arizona Institutes for Resilience (AIR) at the University of Arizona invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate appointment with  Bridging Biodiversity & Conservation Science (BBCS). The position emphasizes applying quantitative social science analysis skills to cross-disciplinary frameworks to hone key professional skills and advance the integration of research.  The successful candidate may have research interests and expertise in a range of fields including urban policy and planning, public policy and administration, environmental policy or governance, or human dimensions of natural resources. We are particularly interested in candidates with research interests relating to urban biodiversity, human health, and/or equitable design of urban built and natural environments. These skills and research interests will complement existing BBCS strengths and contribute to robust and predictive research in emergent issues around the following topics: climate change impacts in urban environments, wildlife and endangered species management in urban spaces, preservation of ecosystem and human health, and sustainable and secure food systems across multiple scales.
BBCS provides professional development support for academic career goals with faculty mentorship and support for government, industry, or other career pathways through collaborations with research partners. Additional training, certifications, and career development resources are available throughout the University and from UA Postdoctoral Affairs.
BBCS is an interdisciplinary research team of faculty and postdoctoral fellows established in 2016 which synergizes research around global grand challenges. By forecasting future environments and patterns of governance and biodiversity under changing physical, social, & economic conditions, we anticipate future challenges and opportunities in health & food security, as well as develop governance and conservation strategies to address these issues. Learn about our work here.

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; state and optional retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

The University of Arizona has been recognized for our innovative work-life programs. For more information about working at the University of Arizona and relocations services, please visit talent.arizona.edu

• Work under the supervision of a primary BBCS Faculty Member and at least one faculty from another discipline.
• Apply quantitative social science methods to datasets from multiple disciplines to answer timely research questions.
• Lead group synthesis or research papers linking biodiversity, environmental, and public health databases.
• Collaborate with post-doctoral fellows and faculty on additional interdisciplinary projects and group synthesis papers. Opportunities include: invasive species, biodiversity and conservation, extreme heat, urban landscape and design, and more. Discover our projects here.
• Develop proposals for external funding in line with BBCS mission to bridge BBCS disciplines.
• Coordinate our annual research dissemination event.
• Present research findings and methodologies at relevant conferences with travel sponsored by the University.
• Opportunity to collaborate with community partners to advance or diversify skillsets.
• Ability to be flexible and adapt to support emerging projects or needs that uphold the BBCS mission.
• Participation in department-wide trainings in building an anti-racist and more equitable society for the promotion of social, racial, and environmental justice.
• Additional duties may be assigned.

Knowledge, skills, & abilities:

• Effective communication.
• Teamwork and collaboration.
• Scientific data analysis skills with application of theory, frameworks, and computational science skills.
• Familiarity with data science software.
• Academic writing skills.
• Public presentation skills.
• Time management and organizational skills.

• As of the beginning date of the appointment, a PhD in a field related to policy, economics, governance, planning and design from an accredited institution.

• Experience in at least two of the following areas: GIS software; spatial analysis and visualization; programming in R, Python, or similar; epidemiology; etiology; data communication; systems evaluation; quantitative data collection and analysis; scientific synthesis and writing.
• Strong experience in quantitative research methods such as data science and statistics.
• A PhD in policy/planning is preferred but other related doctoral degrees such as economics, sociology, political science, geography, civil and environmental engineering, environmental science and policy, and public policy will be considered.
• Applicants interested in at least two of the following disciplines: biodiversity and conservation science, ecology, data informatics, public health, policy and governance, food security, urban planning and design, environmental justice would be an ideal fit for the program.