Working Lands Innovation Center Postdoctoral Scholar

The Working Lands Innovation Center (WLIC), housed at UC Davis' John Muir Institute of the Environment, is a new, multi-stakeholder consortium focused on testing the carbon and crop benefits of soil amendments in California's agricultural lands. WLIC aims to catalyze negative carbon emissions by deploying soil amendment technologies at multi-acre scales in partnership with California researchers, state agencies, industry, farmers, ranchers, Tribes and small-business development. Our mission is to minimize barriers to adoption of promising soil amendment practices and increase understanding of climate-smart interventions that can scale within and outside of California, driving the state toward negative carbon emissions. Our approach addresses one of the greatest barriers to capturing CO2 in farmland by verifying the ability of rock-dust, biochar, and compost to sequester soil carbon in real life settings across a variety of cropping systems (corn, alfalfa, tomatoes, almonds), rangelands (coastal and interior), soils, and climates.

We seek a postdoctoral scholar to lead our cropland soil amendment trials. As a postdoctoral scholar, you will be expected to conduct analysis of weathering, greenhouse gas emissions, soil and plant chemistry, and model carbon capture across rangeland and cropland environments in California. You will also be expected to work with a highly diverse and collaborative set of researchers and stakeholders on the project. Your primary duties will involve field and
laboratory research, data analysis, writing of scientific publications, field site coordination, and communication with laboratory staff, the Program Manager and WLIC’s Principal Investigator. You will be expected to use R, ArcGIS, and various software programs as needed. Publications, scientific talks, and workshops are expected products of your research and outreach activities. Your primary worksite location will be in the PES building on the UC Davis campus, and travel to field sites across CA will be required.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
• Wear personal protective equipment (PPE) and follow all health and safety protocols in the laboratory, field and on campus as required. Schedule COVID
tests and submit daily symptom tracking as required.
• Work in laboratory setting sitting and standing for multiple hours processing samples.
• Crouch, stoop, reach, bend, lift, carry up to 20 lbs of research equipment in lab or field.
• Wear appropriate PPE in the field; hat, glasses, closed toed shoes, pants, etc.
• Work in varied temperatures; cold, wind, rain, fog, and heat to collect samples in various dirt/dust field locations within Coastal California.

WORK ENVIRONMENT
• Work in laboratory, wear face mask, practice physical distance between peers and promote hand hygiene.
• Work Monday – Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm with flexibility to alter working hours when collecting samples in field.
• Occasional travel to other campuses and designated field sites of project.
• Current and valid Driver's License with good driving record.

UC Davis is an affirmative action/equal employment opportunity employee and is dedicated to recruiting a diverse faculty community.

UC Davis is a smoke and tobacco free campus effective January 1, 2014. http://breathefree.ucdavis.edu/ .

QUALIFICATIONS
Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
• PhD in biogeochemistry, ecology, soil science, geology, environmental science, or a related field.
• Experience working in a laboratory and/or field setting testing carbon and crop benefits of soil amendments or equivalent experience in similar
field/techniques.
• Experience analyzing field samples to measure biogeochemical properties.
• Analytical skills to anticipate, identify problems, compare data, and conclude and disseminate data.
• Record of first-authored publications.

Preferred qualifications
• Experience analyzing field samples to measure carbon sequestration rates of inorganic and organic carbon.
• Knowledge pertaining to biogeochemical processes, weathering processes, and/or agronomy.
• Experience communicating science to the general public and scientific audiences and communities.
• Strong publication record.
• Analytical skills that include modeling of soil-based processes.
• Familiarity with coastal California and various crop system and rangelands in both the Central and Imperial Valleys.
• Ability to write and edit analysis contributions and method development.
• Experience with project management.
• Experience working with diverse groups.