Assistant Professor of Economic or Ecological Modeling

https://ecu.peopleadmin.com/postings/56382

The Department of Coastal Studies (DCS) in East Carolina University’s Integrated Coastal Programs is looking to hire an economic or ecological modeler for a research-intensive tenure-track faculty position at its Outer Banks campus, with an expected start date in August 2023 for the 2023-2024 Academic Year.

This position is part of a significant ECU investment in research and teaching programs focused on coastal and marine environments. We are explicitly looking for a researcher who focuses on ecological or economic modeling to shed light on complex problems resulting from the interaction of human and natural coastal systems, dynamics, and processes. The new faculty member will be expected to participate in an Integrated Coastal Sciences Ph.D. program and develop and teach place-based classes and short courses at ECU’s Outer Banks campus (https://coastal.ecu.edu/obx-campus/).

The successful candidates will be expected to build a vigorous externally funded research program; teach and develop courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and provide professional service. These expectations include developing research collaborations and synergistic activities with other faculty members of DCS, ECU, partner institutions, and other universities and research agencies and organizations. The position will be located at ECU’s Outer Banks Campus on Roanoke Island and regular travel to the Greenville campus will be required.

The Department of Coastal Studies (DCS) coordinates and enhances research on human and natural coastal issues across ECU’s Outer Banks and Greenville campuses, with partner institutions at the Coastal Studies Institute (CSI), and with coastal communities from Kitty Hawk to Greenville. The existing DCS faculty is a mix of scholars with a wide variety of social, natural science, and engineering backgrounds that tackle interdisciplinary coastal problems.

The Coastal Studies Institute (CSI) where the Outer Banks campus is housed, is a growing inter-institutional research and education enterprise, engaged in innovative and applied coastal and marine research and situated on a scenic new waterfront campus on Roanoke Island. CSI leads the NC Renewable Energy Program and is a partner in creating the Atlantic Marine Energy Center, a Department of Energy national center focused on powering the Blue Economy. CSI has established strong partnerships with the USACE Field Research Facility, National Park Service, and the US Fish & Wildlife Service. CSI also has an ongoing relationship with NC Aquariums’ Jennette’s Pier, located just five miles apart. CSI and the pier operate a renewable ocean energy testing site with direct access to the nearshore for research and education. The proximity and a set of existing relationships across our partners provide an opportunity to leverage established nearshore and coastal data resources, a real-time coastal processes numerical modeling framework, and data management and dissemination infrastructure.

The Outer Banks is one of the world’s premier ocean and water sports locations, and northeastern North Carolina houses a remarkable collection of marine and terrestrial ecosystems and wildlife. This position is an opportunity to be part of an exciting and dynamic new enterprise in a unique environment.

Job Duties          

Applicants should be committed to aggressively pursuing collaborative research endeavors that incorporate both natural and social sciences (as an example, please see https://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/convergence/index.jsp). We are explicitly looking for a researcher who focuses on economic or ecological modeling to address complex problems related to the interaction of natural and social coastal dynamics, and who is open to new approaches to research and teaching. The successful candidates will be expected to build a vigorous externally funded research program; teach and develop courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels at the Outer Banks and Greenville campuses; and provide professional service. These expectations include developing research collaborations and synergistic activities with other faculty members of DCS, ECU, partner institutions, and other universities and research agencies and organizations. The position will be located at ECU’s Outer Banks Campus on Roanoke Island, and travel to, and integration with, the Greenville campus is required.

Applicants at the assistant professor academic rank are invited. Details of the position are described below.

We seek a candidate with demonstrated ability and experience in integrating disciplinary models and approaches in a framework that facilitates research into complex natural resource and environmental issues. A background in biology, ecology, or economics is welcome, as is the ability to communicate and work with colleagues across disciplines in the social, physical, and natural sciences. The successful candidate will work with a cohort of natural, physical, and social scientists to creatively address critical coastal issues. Core disciplinary expertise could be in Economics, Ecology, Biology, or related social science or natural science field.

Contingent upon available funds.