Position Announcement
Position Title: Postdoctoral Research Associate
General Duties and Responsibilities: Incumbent will work within and support
an existing research program at the Blackland Research and Extension Center
(BREC) in Temple, Texas. Primary responsibilities will center around
providing support for a research project using biophysical simulation
modeling to conduct a national assessment of the benefits of NRCS
conservation programs. Assessments will initially focus on soil quality,
water quality, and water use conservation. Specific tasks include
classifying management practices to be modeled, determining appropriate
models to be used for simulating practices, differentiating between
practices that will require major model development and those that will
require only minor modifications to the model, establishing timelines for
model development and for initiating conservation practice simulations,
developing a protocol for regional parameterization of simulation models to
account for diversity across the United States, calibrating and validating
chosen modeling procedures, and developing protocol and data requirements
for simulating conservation practices. The incumbent will assist with
quantifying the physical benefits or enhancement of soil quality, reduction
in loss of manure nutrients from farm fields, reduction of soil phosphorus
concentrations, and accumulation of organic carbon associated with enhanced
nutrient management planning for livestock and non-livestock farms.
Incumbent will work closely with other TAES, ARS, and NRCS scientists
(agronomists, agricultural engineers, agricultural economists, and soil
scientists) at Blackland, and will provide science-based information to
state and federal regulators involved in environmental management.
Administrative Relationships: The incumbent will report to the Resident
Director at BREC. The appointment is 100% with the Texas Agricultural
Experiment Station (TAES) at the Blackland Research and Extension Center,
Temple, Texas (www.brc.tamus.edu).
Qualifications:
Required: Ph.D. in Agricultural, Biological, or Civil Engineering, Soil or
Crop Science, or related disciplines; experience with simulation modeling of
agricultural and natural resource systems; sound understanding of modern
computer simulation software, statistics, and systems analyses; potential to
generate external funding; and excellent verbal and written communication
skills.
Preferred: Postdoctoral experience in simulation modeling, proven track
record in acquiring external grants, and experience interacting with state
and federal regulatory agencies and private industry for model applications.
Agency Description: TAES, along with the Texas A&M College of Agriculture
and Life Sciences, fulfills the university's land-grant responsibility of
combining teaching and research to create new knowledge and technology.
TAES research programs are conducted on the Texas A&M campus at College
Station and at 13 regional research centers across the state, of which
Blackland is one.
Salary: Competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.
This position is supported by grant funds and, as a result, continued
employment is contingent upon the future availability of funding sources.
Facilities: Scientists at Blackland share about 50,000 square feet of
office, lab, and greenhouse space with the Grassland, Soil and Water
Research Laboratory of the USDA/Agricultural Research Service. There are
about 100 full-time employees. The facility also houses staff from the
Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Closing Date for Applications: Applications will be accepted until a
suitable candidate is found.
Date Position is Available: Position is available immediately.
Application Process: Submit letter of application, resume, and names of five
references to:
Dr. Wm. A. Dugas, Resident Director
Blackland Research and Extension Center
720 E. Blackland Rd.
Temple, TX 76502
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The Agriculture Program is an equal opportunity employer.
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