Postdoctoral Opportunity in Florida

Florida International University / South Florida and Caribbean Inventory
and Monitoring Network Post-doctoral Research Scientist application

We are seeking a post-doctoral research scientist to assist the South
Florida and Caribbean Inventory and Monitoring Network (SFCN) in
development of long term monitoring of vital sign indicators to evaluate
park ecosystem health. The postdoctoral scientist will develop and field
test quantitative assessment methods for evaluating long term changes in
indicator species and ecological processes. These methods can include:
assessing existing monitoring for efficiency, power, and practicality;
designing and piloting monitoring protocols and sampling design; and
developing analytical methods for data analysis and reporting. The
research scientist will be a visiting research scientist in the Department
of Biological Sciences at Florida International University but will be
housed at SFCN. The term of appointment is 2 years with a starting salary
of $42,000 plus fringe benefits.
Position description and required qualifications--Candidates must have a
Ph.D. and experience in field sampling; vegetation monitoring experience
is preferred. As duties will include assessing extant monitoring programs,
candidates should be able to interact with groups of scientists and
resource managers; to critically evaluate projects and programs, analyzing
them for monitoring gaps and needs; and to develop and test new protocols
to fill those gaps. To apply, submit a curriculum vitae, statement of
research interests, and contact information for two references. In
addition, please answer the four questions on knowledge, skills and
abilities that can be found at
http://bio.fiu.edu/richards/SFCN/KSA_questions.pdf . Application
materials should be e-mailed to Dr. Jennifer Richards (Department of
Biological Sciences, Florida International University, University Park,
Miami, FL 33199) at richards@fiu.edu. To assure consideration,
applications should be received by Dec. 3, 2007. Florida International
University is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access/Affirmative Action
Employer.


The Department of Biological Sciences of FIU has 39 faculty members, 900
undergraduate majors, and 100 graduate students. Tropical biology and
conservation, especially of wetlands, are major research themes in the
department. The Florida Coastal Everglades LTER, funded by the National
Science Foundation, is based at FIU, providing further opportunities for
collaboration. Additional information about the University can be found at
http://www.fiu.edu/; additional information about the Department can be
found at http://www.fiu.edu/~biology/

The South Florida/Caribbean Inventory and Monitoring Network (SFCN) of the
National Park Service is charged with providing long-term inventory and
monitoring of South Florida and Caribbean parks. The SFCN network
consists of seven parks: Big Cypress National Preserve, Biscayne National
Park, Buck Island Reef National Monument, Dry Tortugas National Park,
Everglades National Park, Salt River National Historical Park and
Ecological Preserve, and Virgin Islands National Park. The network has
nearly 2.5 million acres with dominant communities that include coral
reefs, seagrass beds, dry tropical forests, mangrove forests, swamps and
wetlands. The international significance of these natural resources is
recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) through its Man and the Biosphere (MAB) program,
which designated Dry Tortugas National Park, Everglades National Park, and
Virgin Islands National Park as biosphere reserves. Additionally,
Everglades National Park is a RAMSAR wetland of international importance
and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ground-breaking natural resource
management activities are being developed at a number of the parks within
the network. Three of the parks (Big Cypress National Preserve, Biscayne
National Park, and Everglades National Park) are affected by Comprehensive
Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) efforts to restore portions of the
larger Everglades ecosystem over the next century. For more information
on the SFCN long-term monitoring plan, please see vital signs. For more
information on the SFCN see http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/sfcn/