1 postdoc and 1 phd in wildland urban interface (USA)

Overview:  The wildland urban interface is where houses and wildland vegetation mix or intermingle, and where wildland fire problems are most vexing.  We are starting two new projects related to the WUI.  In the first project, we will model wildfire risk in the WUI based on observed fire patterns as recorded by MODIS active fire satellite data across the conterminous U.S., and to map the fire mitigation zone.  In the second project, we will assess how rebuilding and new development after fires change the risk of future wildlife damage to houses, and examine if houses lost to fires cause communities in the WUI to adapt.

These projects are part of a collaboration between UW-Madison (V. Radeloff,
S. Stewart), and the US Forest Service (M. Mockrin), and funded by the
Northern Research Station of the USFS and the Joint Fire Sciences Program.

Positions: We are offering the postdoctoral position for two years.  The
appointment will be as a research associate.  Salary is competitive and
commensurate with experience.  The position is available immediately, and we
seek to fill it by September 1st 2015 at the latest.

We are offering the PhD graduate assistantship for three years.  The student
will be appointed as a research assistant with a stipend of $21,648 per year
plus health benefits and tuition remission.  We anticipate the PhD student
to start September 1st 2015.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an equal opportunity/affirmative
action employer.  We promote excellence through diversity and encourage all
qualified individuals to apply.

The university has a long history of excellence in ecology, conservation
biology, remote sensing and geography.  Both positions will be based in the
SILVIS lab (http://silvis.forest.wisc.edu/), and supervised by V. Radeloff.

UW-Madison is a major research university in the United States ranking
consistently among the top-five university in research expenditures among
all U.S. universities.  Total student enrollment is 43,000 of which more
than 12,000 are graduate and professional students, and there are over 2000
faculty.  It is an exciting place to learn and conduct research.

The city of Madison ranks as one of the top places in the U.S. to live and
work.  For information about campus and city, please see
http://www.wisc.edu/about/

Qualifications:  We seek candidates who work well in a collaborative setting
and have excellent communication and writing skills.  Good English writing
and verbal communication skills, as well as the ability to work in a team,
are essential.  Applicants must have completed a Ph.D. in forestry,
geography, environmental science or a related field prior to appointment.
Candidates should have demonstrated skills in the processing and handling of
large datasets, statistical modeling, spatial ecology, and GIS.  Knowledge
of remote sensing, fire ecology and/or human demographics is a plus.

To apply:  Candidates should send a cover letter summarizing their research
interests, a CV, unofficial transcripts for applicants for the PhD position,
and contact information for three references.  Application packages need to
be compiled into one, single PDF file, and sent to slschmid@wisc.edu.

Review of applicants will begin immediately, but the positions will remain
open until a suitable candidate is found.  Applications received by March
15th 2015 are guaranteed consideration.