About the Opportunity

About the Roux Institute

The Roux Institute is designed as an engine of innovation, talent-building, and economic growth for Portland, Maine, and northern New England. We are nurturing an environment for high-impact research and innovation in computer and data science, digital engineering, the advanced life sciences and medicine, and other tech fields. And we are helping entrepreneurs launch businesses focused on and powered by technology. Together, we envision an innovation corridor that in the coming years will stretch from Boston to Portland and beyond.

About the Institute for Experiential AI

Do you want to be part of an exciting new Institute focused on combining human and machine intelligence into working AI solutions?

We are launching a pioneering research and innovation hub in AI—one that will shape the way humans and machines collaborate for decades to come. Led by Prof. Usama Fayyad, the Institute for Experiential AI (EAI) is built around the challenges and opportunities made possible by human-machine collaboration. The Institute provides a framework to design, implement, and scale AI-driven technologies in ways that make a true difference to society. Our ability to respond to the opportunities afforded to society will depend on training and building a workforce that is AI-capable and prosperous. In addition to this focus on human-centric and responsible AI practice, EAI has research verticals covering Life Sciences, Health, as well as Climate & Sustainability.

About Northeastern University

Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university and the recognized leader in experience-driven lifelong learning. Our world-renowned experiential approach empowers our students, faculty, alumni, and partners to create impact far beyond the confines of discipline, degree, and campus.

THE CULTURE

We are committed to the highest standards in all that we do. Working at the EAI and the Roux Institute offers opportunities, an environment, and a culture that just aren’t found together anywhere else. This is the right place for you if you’re curious, motivated by the future of technology, and want to be part of a unique and diverse community that works on high-impact research, educational, business, and societal problems.

Job Summary

The Roux Institute at Northeastern University and the Institute for Experiential AI are seeking a highly qualified and highly motivated data science postdoctoral researcher with experience and interests at the intersection of data sciences and machine learning, marine ecology, coastal systems and fisheries, and climate and earth systems.

The postdoctoral associate will apply artificial intelligence and machine learning methods to detect, identify drivers, and forecast climate-related changes and regime shifts in the Northeast U.S. marine ecosystem. The successful candidate will be mentored and supervised by Dr. Auroop Ganguly, a Northeastern COE Distinguished Professor and Director of the Sustainability and Data Sciences Laboratory, and will also work closely with Dr. Kathy Mills of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI).

In addition to becoming part of the research environment at the Roux Institute and GMRI, the successful candidate will be part of a community of postdoctoral trainees from across the Roux Institute, EAI, the Global Resilience Institute (GRI) and the Sustainability and Data Sciences Laboratory (SDS Lab).

The position is physically located in Portland, Maine, with occasional travel to Boston.

Key responsibilities of the role include:

Understand the design, dataset structure, and data caveats associated with remotely sensed earth sciences, ecology, and marine fisheries datasets in the Northeast U.S. region. Apply artificial intelligence and machine learning methods to large datasets of climate, oceanographic, biological, ecological, and fishery variables to:

Develop predictive understanding of marine social-ecological systems under climate and global change, with a focus on marine ecology, fisheries, and the blue economy.

Characterize, detect, and develop forecasts of marine ecosystem regime shifts and tipping points, in a way that considers natural, human-engineered, and social systems, especially climate and other causal drivers.

Develop novel methods and methodological adaptations in science-guided machine learning and artificial intelligence, as well as nonlinear dynamics and computational statistics, for earth systems including climate and ecology.

Collaborate with researchers in the Maine and New England region to interpret regime shift results in the context of socio-economic and fishery management implications Communicate results at important conferences, such as highly-selective computer science conferences, and through top-tier peer-reviewed journals in the data sciences, artificial intelligence, climate change, ecology, and marine ecology fields. Present results to stakeholders, including other scientists, fishery managers, fishing industry groups, and public audiences, and help build or strengthen regional, national, and global communities at the intersection of data sciences, AI, climate, and ecology.

GENERAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS, VALUES & ABILITIES NEEDED FOR THIS ROLE

• Ph.D. in one of the following areas:

  • Data science, data mining, machine learning, information theory, nonlinear dynamics, computational statistics, network science, optimization; other computational sciences; or data-driven topics in domain areas such as climate and the environment, marine ecology and fisheries, supply chain.

• Previous experience applying AI and ML methods to the analysis of large datasets.

• Demonstrated interest in climate change and ecology, quantitative marine ecosystem and fisheries analyses and applications.

• Experience managing and analyzing large datasets, including satellite imagery, climate model simulations, oceanographic model outputs, and ecological surveys.

• Demonstrated experience and fluency in relevant programming languages, particularly Python, R and/or Julia.

• Strong written and oral communication skills, as evidenced through publications in the peer-reviewed scientific literature and presentation of results to a variety of audiences.

• Demonstrated ability to lead an independent research project.

• Demonstrated ability to work as part of a collaborative team.

Values & Abilities:

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively towards common research goals.

• We expect postdoctoral fellows to establish and advocate for best practices in scientific reproducibility of all results, and to promote the ethical use of data and algorithms.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to communicate effectively with a variety of different stakeholders, e.g., academics, business executives, government officials, journalists/media, etc.

• Comfortable navigating complex internal processes and structures.

• Respect for diversity and the importance of interdisciplinary teams.

• Entrepreneurial mindset, self-starter and innovative thinker while at the same time being able to navigate multi-layered channels within a university setting and working across multiple teams/business units.

• Team-player who can collaborate effectively in a university setting.

• Open-minded, assertive, and professional when collaborating and working within our team and with other groups within Northeastern University.

Additional Preferred Qualifications:

• Studies or a degree in fields related to climate change, marine ecology, oceanography, or fisheries science.

• Knowledge of marine ecosystem dynamics, climate change, marine ecology and fisheries, supply chain and the blue economy, and the ability to develop hypotheses and analyses to quantify their relationships.

• Familiarity with marine ecosystems, particularly the Northeast Shelf marine ecosystem.

• Experience in time series and geospatial or geospatial-temporal data mining and machine learning,

• Experience in time series and spatial analysis and forecasting, including building and evaluating time series and spatial models, extreme value theory, nonlinear dynamics and causal analysis in space and time, as well as deep learning and other machine learning models in space and time

• Proficiency in ArcGIS for Geospatial Analysis and proficiency with Network Science and complex systems analysis

• Experience with analysis and mining in climate and sustainability domains, including water, atmosphere, ocean, infrastructure, ecology or other areas of earth systems sciences and engineering

Required Documents :

Please submit the following documents in a single Word/PDF document along with your application:

Cover Letter (please specify the specialization(s) you are interested in) Resume Few samples of your Research Papers/Articles One page Research Statement.

The research statement should not exceed 1 page.

A reference cited section can be appended following the research statement and does not count towards the page limit.

Please use 11- or 12-point size and a standard font.

Page margins should be 1 inch or greater.

Please address the following:

1. Describe your research and how it has contributed to your field?

2. What future directions do you anticipate for your research?

3. Who are your primary collaborators and what are your experiences with industrial collaborations?

Position Type

Research

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.  

Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information.  

Northeastern University is an equal opportunity employer, seeking to recruit and support a broadly diverse community of faculty and staff.  Northeastern values and celebrates diversity in all its forms and strives to foster an inclusive culture built on respect that affirms inter-group relations and builds cohesion. 

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other  characteristic protected by applicable law.

To learn more about Northeastern University’s commitment and support of diversity and inclusion, please see www.northeastern.edu/diversity .