Hutchinson Environmental Postdoctoral Fellows Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies

The Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies (YIBS) was established in 1990 through a generous bequest from Yale alumnus Edward P. Bass. YIBS is an umbrella environmental science organization that supports the environmental community at Yale University through research and training, grants and fellowships, and weekly seminars and events (yibs.yale.edu). The newly established Hutchinson Environmental Program, named in honor of G. Evelyn Hutchinson, the father of modern ecology, is intended to support the environmental priorities identified in Yale’s strategy to advance the sciences.

We seek to attract as many as 10 Hutchinson Environmental Postdoctoral Fellows in the summer and fall of 2020. Cohorts of postdoctoral fellows, representing multiple disciplines, will be centered around the two broad themes outlined below: Environment and Evolution, and Climate and Greenhouse Gases. The Hutchinson Fellows will share space in the Osborn Memorial Laboratories on Yale’s Science Hill. Postdoc cohorts will engage in research and synthesis activities with a network of Yale faculty mentors spanning multiple schools and departments. Priority will be given to applicants whose research incorporates data-driven synthesis, modeling, and/or conceptual unification of knowledge as a means to address these core themes. These are two-year postdoctoral fellowships (contingent on success in year one) with a starting salary of $62,000, plus $10,000 for research and travel. Funds will also be available to support cohort projects, symposia, workshops, and training in science communication.

THEME I Environment and Evolution. Human-accelerated environmental changes are affecting the flux of energy and nutrients in ecosystems, in many cases by altering the structure and function of species interactions. We are seeking candidates whose research addresses how species interactions are reshaped by ecological and evolutionary responses to environmental change and/or how this reshaping determines processes and patterns at larger scales. Successful applicants will work in a highly collaborative environment around themes including, but not limited to: (1) eco-evolutionary dynamics in ecosystems driven by human-accelerated change; (2) the genomic basis of evolving species interactions; and (3) contemporary effects of environmental change from a paleoecological perspective. Faculty lead for Theme I: David Vasseur, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. Other relevant faculty are affiliated with the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and the Departments of Geology & Geophysics and Anthropology. See yibs.yale.edu/hutchinsonfellowship for additional details and affiliated faculty.

THEME II Climate and Greenhouse Gases. Atmospheric levels of CO2, CH4 and N2O are increasing, leading to planetary warming. We are seeking candidates whose research can contribute to our general understanding of the generation and management of greenhouse gases (GHG). Because of growing interest in global methane among a group of Yale faculty, we are particularly interested in building a cohort of postdoctoral fellows who can advance knowledge of the production and control of CH4 losses from natural and human-managed systems. Successful applicants will work in a highly collaborative environment around themes including, but not limited to: (1) GHG fluxes from ecosystems and the energy sector; (2) microbial ecology and evolution relevant to GHGs; (3) GHG pathways in plants; (4) GHG dynamics in deep time; and (5) natural climate solutions. Faculty lead for Theme II: Peter Raymond, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Other relevant faculty are affiliated with the Departments of Geology & Geophysics, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Chemical & Environmental Engineering, and the Yale School of Management. See yibs.yale.edu/hutchinson-fellowship for additional details and affiliated faculty.

APPLICATIONS. Interested candidates should have, or will soon receive, a Ph.D. in a relevant discipline. Applications must be submitted by Monday, January 13, 2020. Submit a CV (with a complete bibliography), the names and email addresses of three references, and a research statement detailing potential connections to one (or both) of the themes described above; please also identify one or more potential Yale faculty mentors. Applications should be submitted to http://apply.interfolio.com/71435. Applicants will be notified of the results of the selection process by mid-February 2020.

Yale University considers applicants for employment without regard to, and does not discriminate on the basis of, an individual’s sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, status as a veteran, or national or ethnic origin; nor does Yale discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects people from sex discrimination in educational programs and activities at institutions that receive federal financial assistance. Questions regarding Title IX may be referred to the University’s Title IX Coordinator, at TitleIX@yale.edu, or to the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 8th Floor, Five Post Office Square, Boston MA 02109-3921. Telephone: 617.289.0111, Fax: 617.289.0150, TDD: 800.877.8339, or Email: ocr.boston@ed.gov.