Job Openings at the Woods Hole Research Center

The following positions are currently open at the Woods Hole Research Center (November, 2008).


1) UNIX/Linux System Administrator

2) Economist / Interdisciplinary Social Scientist - Africa Program

3) Resource/Environmental Economist

4) Research Assistant - Africa program

5) Research Assistant/Associate - Remote Sensing of Deforestation/Forest Degradation and Forest Carbon Monitoring

6) Ecosystems Ecologist

7) Post-Doctoral Researcher – Amazon Ecosystem Modeling


1)UNIX/Linux System Administrator, Job # ITME01

SUMMARY:This full-time position reports to the Director of Information Systems and works closely with scientific staff to administer, maintain and upgrade UNIX/Linux systems and high performance computing clusters (HPCCs) applied to geo-spatial modeling, satellite image processing and database programming. The position requires ability to work in a diverse computing environment combining Linux/Solaris and Windows servers, PCs and Macs, high-density blade enclosures, and Network and Direct Attached Storage (NAS & DAS) devices.

RESPONSIBILITIES: The UNIX/Linux System Administrator will have responsibility for multiple tasks relevant to the maintenance of HPCCs, network connectivity, and software functionality including:

  • Integration of new hardware (compute nodes, NAS & DAS)
  • System setup and software installation and upgrades
  • Troubleshooting hardware and software problems
  • Retrieval, management, and backup of large raster data sets
  • Setup and orientation for new users
  • Overseeing software licensing and hardware maintenance contracts

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Education and Experience:Applicants should have a Bachelor’s degree in computer science or information technology or 3+ years of experience in computer support, and a proven ability to acquire new technical knowledge and skills.

Required Skills:

  • Expertise in UNIX/LINUX environments (Solaris, Redhat), with a solid understanding of multi-user operating systems, network security, inter-process communication and RAID storage.
  • Experience with structured file systems, file naming conventions and backup protocols.
  • Experience with the use of performance analysis to tune systems and monitor network performance in a distributed computing environment.
  • Familiarity with web data servers, compiling and installing open source libraries and computing packages, and the use of perl/python and shell scripting to automate compute tasks.
  • Ability to work in a demanding multi-tasking environment with a minimum of supervision, occasionally outside of regular office hours.

Desired Skills:

  • Expertise in parallel programming for HPCC (mpi)
  • Expertise in statistical programming (R) and geospatial raster image processing
  • GDAL, netCDF and xemacs
  • Understanding of publishing on the internet, and familiarity with technical publishing.

Application deadline: December 22, 2008, or until position filled.

Start: Immediately.

Salary Range: $50,000 to $60,000 with benefits.

**** Application Instructions: To apply, send cover letter referencing Job # ITME01, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references to


2) Economist / Interdisciplinary Social Scientist - Africa Program, Job # PDNL01

SUMMARY:The Woods Hole Research Center’s Africa Program is seeking an economist or interdisciplinary social scientist for a postdoctoral or research associate position supporting the Program’s work on “Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation” (REDD) in the Central African context.

RESPONSIBILITIES: The successful candidate will have a major role in carrying out the socio-economic dimensions of the Program’s ongoing field-based projects in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda focused on defining the drivers of deforestation, refining spatial-predictive models of deforestation and associated carbon emissions, contextualizing the environmental and economic debates surrounding REDD, and informing the development of national REDD policies. Relevant activities are likely to include

  • conduct and analysis of field-based economic and social surveys;
  • integration of surveys with models to improve estimates of deforestation and associated carbon emissions;
  • estimation of REDD program costs and incorporation of these into supply curves for emission-reduction options;
  • interaction with government and civil-society groups to understand controversies and help design workable approaches to REDD;
  • participating in, and in some cases leading, the preparation of publications describing these efforts for the professional literature.

The successful candidate must be willing to spend considerable time in Africa conducting the field-based and in-country-interactive parts of this work.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Education and work history: Ph.D. in environmental and/or natural-resource economics or interdisciplinary social science with a significant economic component, plus relevant field experience in Africa.

Skills required: Excellent writing and oral communication skills in English; interest and ability in cross-disciplinary communication and collaboration and in linking scientific findings with policy.

Skills desired: Working knowledge of French is highly desirable and knowledge of an African language would be an asset.

Application deadline: December 22, 2008, or until position filled.

Start: February 2009.

Salary Range: $50,000 to $70,000 with benefits.

**** Application Instructions: To apply, send cover letter referencing Job # PDNL01, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references to


3) Resource/Environmental Economist, Job # ECJH01

SUMMARY:The Woods Hole Research Center seeks a scientist in the field of environmental and/or natural-resource economics to strengthen the Center’s existing focus on the scientific and policy dimensions of sustainable management of the world’s forests, including sustainable livelihoods for forest-dwelling people. The position is to be filled at the Assistant Scientist or Associate Scientist level, corresponding to Assistant or Associate Professor in a university setting.

RESPONSIBILITIES: The successful candidate will engage in some combination of:

  • economic and socio-economic analyses supporting ongoing Center programs relating to understanding and modifying the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in the tropics and the temperate and boreal zones; and
  • development of new efforts at the Center in research, interdisciplinary assessment, and policy engagement bringing economic principles to bear on the challenges of sustainable management of forests.

The first of these categories of activity will entail some travel to and occasional extended stays at field sites, and the second may or may not. Both categories will entail working closely with natural and social scientists of a variety of disciplines at the Center and in collaborating organizations, as well as eventually contributing to the fundraising efforts needed to support these activities. An energetic approach to professional publication and other forms of communication of findings and recommendations is expected.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Education and work history: Ph.D. in environmental and/or natural resource economics and significant postdoctoral work experience related to one or more of the world’s forested regions.

Skills required: Excellent writing and oral communication skills; demonstrated prowess in research design, professional publication, and securing research support; interest and ability in cross-disciplinary communication and collaboration and in linking scientific findings with policy.

Skills desired: Language skills germane to the regional focuses of existing and/or proposed field studies (e.g., for existing Center efforts, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian).

Application deadline: December 5, 2008, or until position filled.

Start: February 2009.

Salary Range: $65,000 to $85,000 with benefits.

**** Application Instructions: To apply, send cover letter referencing Job # ECJH01, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references to


4) Research Assistant - Africa program, Job # RANL01

SUMMARY: A full-time position providing research support for interdisciplinary projects on natural resource management and land-cover change in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda, and Mozambique. The primary responsibility of the research assistant will be to develop integrated spatial modeling of African households using Dinamica EGO in the DRC, Uganda, and Mozambique, and to adapt a spatial rent model for logging in the DRC. The candidate will join a multi-disciplinary, international research team using socioeconomic survey data, remote-sensing, spatial modeling, and ethnographic fieldwork to investigate changing patterns of resource use and livelihoods among poor rural households. The position will be based in Woods Hole but will require training in Brazil to use a modeling program.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • spatial modeling of household resource use, deforestation, and ecosystem change
  • willingness to be posted in Brazil for training purposes for 1 month
  • assistance in the preparation of reports and publications
  • other tasks as agreed upon in the course of the project

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Education: A Master’s degree in natural resource economics, remote sensing, geography, international development, environmental science, or related programs.

Experience: Candidate should be technically or mathematically oriented, have excellent organizational, writing, and presentation skills, and be fluent in (or willing to learn) Portuguese or French. Spatial modeling, programming, and/or remote-sensing skills are desirable, but may be acquired. Must be willing to work independently and as part of an interdisciplinary team.

Application deadline: December 22, 2008, or until position filled.

Start: January 2009.

Salary Range: $38,000 to $45,000 with benefits.

**** Application Instructions: To apply, send cover letter referencing Job # RANL01, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references to


5) Research Assistant/Associate - Remote Sensing of Deforestation/Forest Degradation and Forest Carbon Monitoring, Job # RAJK02

SUMMARY: The Woods Hole Research Center has Research Assistant/Associate positions open with responsibilities in remote sensing, GIS, and statistical modeling for several forest mapping and biomass/carbon assessment projects, including research on data fusion techniques from radar/LIDAR/optical remote sensing data, northeastern forest carbon flux assessments, and pan-tropical mapping of forest cover. The successful candidate will be required to assist in the establishment and management of a production flow that will include processing, archiving, and distributing large regional scale (Chile, northeastern U.S.) to continental scale (Central/South America, Africa, and SE Asia) spatial data layers.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • process and manipulate spatial data sets, supporting the development of algorithms and source code and QA/QC of data layers
  • analyze, synthesize, and present results in a highly collaborative environment
  • communicate advanced remote sensing/GIS concepts in foreign work environments
  • contribute to reports, publications, and web-based materials
  • assist with in-country capacity building and technology transfer
  • collaborate with staff scientists and policy experts

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Education: Bachelor’s or Master's degree with experience in remote sensing, GIS, programming for spatial data analysis, and large-dataset processing/manipulation. Background in geography, biology, ecology, forestry, natural resources, or environmental science/education.

Required:

  • Software skills (some combination of the following): ArcGIS, ERDAS Imagine/PCI Geomatics/ENVI (or comparable image processing), databases, mid-level to advanced programming (e.g., R-statistical, SQL, IDL, Python, Unix shell scripting).
  • Communication skills: Spoken and written fluency in English; excellent communication and public presentation skills.
  • Work style: Highly collaborative, flexible, organized, and efficient.

Desired:
Experience with MODIS and/or Radar (SAR) remote sensing data, Linux/Unix system administration experience, Definiens eCognition. Foreign language proficiency in French, Spanish, and/or Portuguese.

Application: December 22, 2008, or until filled.

Start: January 2009.

Salary Range: $40,000 to $55,000 with benefits.

**** Application Instructions: To apply, send cover letter referencing Job # RAJK02 , curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references to


6) Ecosystems Ecologist, Job # ECGS01

SUMMARY: The Woods Hole Research Center seeks a scientist in the field of ecosystem services to strengthen the existing focus of the scientific and policy dimensions of sustainable management of forests. A position at the Assistant or Associate Scientist level is open for an ecologist, biologist, or geographer who will work on the relationship between the condition of forest ecosystems and the ecosystem services they deliver. This position is partially funded by a grant through partnership with the Goldman Sachs Center for Environmental Markets as part of the Clinton Global Initiative.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • conduct research on terrestrial ecosystems applicable to the development of market and/or policy mechanisms for maintaining or restoring ecosystem services
  • secure research funding and develop research programs
  • evaluate and support emerging opportunities for improved valuation and compensation for sustaining ecosystems
  • collaborate with staff scientists, policy experts, NGO partners, and governmental agencies

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Education: Ph.D. with relevant work experience. Background in biology, ecology, geography, and/or earth sciences.

Skills: Proven track record in publishing; GIS and remote sensing experience desirable; excellent writing and communication skills required.

Application deadline: December 12th, 2008 or until filled.

Start: February 2009.

Salary Range: $65,000 to $85,000 with benefits.

**** Application Instructions: To apply, send cover letter referencing Job # ECGS01, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references to


7) Post-Doctoral Researcher – Amazon Ecosystem Modeling, Job #PDMC02

SUMMARY: A three-year position that reports to the Principal Investigator, Amazon Savannization Project. The scientist will join an international science team that uses numerical models, field experiments, and satellite applications to investigate the impacts of land use/land cover changes and climate variability on the water, energy, and carbon cycles of the Amazon River basin. The primary duties of the position will be to apply and expand existing ecosystem and climate models to evaluate the sensitivity of Amazon terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to the effects of rapid agricultural expansion. The position will be based at the Woods Hole Research Center but will also participate in a large existing field and numerical modeling program based in Brazil. See more program details »

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Coordinate projects modeling the effects of deforestation on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in the Amazon
  • Participate in a larger project quantifying human influences in the Amazon
  • Evaluate and incorporate new field data within existing models
  • Lead and participate in scientific publications
  • Other tasks as agreed upon in the course of the research

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Education: Researchers with a doctoral degree in ecosystem dynamics, ecology, atmospheric sciences or related field are encouraged to apply.

Skills: Numerical modeling, ecological applications, data management. Fluency or desire to learn Portuguese is preferred.

Application deadline: Until filled.

Start: January/February 2009.

Salary Range: $45,000 to $50,000 with benefits.

**** Application Instructions: To apply, send cover letter referencing Job # PDMC02, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references to


 

The Woods Hole Research Center's emphasis in research is on ecosystems and includes such global issues as biotic impoverishment, climate change, sustainable development, and the role of biotic resources in support of contemporary civilization. Interest and activities extend to the interactions of science and public affairs, nationally and internationally.

Equal Opportunity Employer.