[Coral-List] Mangrove restoration post-doc position: U.S. Virgin Islands

[Marilyn Brandt]

Since mangroves are important to coral reefs, we felt this list would be a good place to circulate this announcement. Any questions should be directed to Dr. Kristin Grimes (contact information below).

The University of the Virgin Islands is hiring a Mangrove Restoration Postdoctoral Associate. Please share widely with your networks. The close date is very soon - 02/07/2021.

The Virgin Islands Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (VI-EPSCoR) seeks a Mangrove Restoration Postdoctoral Associate for the U.S. Virgin Islands territory. This position is responsible for assisting in the coordination and implementation of the mangrove restoration initiatives for the current 2020-2025 NSF-EPSCoR award "Ridge to Reef" (R2R; Award #1946412). These initiatives include: 1) establishment and refinement of a controlled mangrove nursery, 2) development, execution, and publication of mangrove restoration research, 3) mentorship of undergraduate and Masters-level graduate students involved in mangrove restoration research efforts, 4) assisting in the creation of a mangrove restoration citizen science program to include local community and school involvement (e.g., recruitment, training, communication, coordination, volunteer appreciation/recognition efforts), and (5) developing outreach initiatives and products related to mangrove restoration work (e.g., public talks, newsletter contributions). The position will also assist other R2R mangrove ecosystem function and recovery research, and contribute to the collection of evaluation data related to the R2R citizen science program.

Required Qualifications:
1) Ph.D. in the Marine Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Ecology, Forestry, or a related field;
2) Experience with mangrove ecosystems (research and/or restoration)
3) Experience with data management, and statistical or mathematical/computational software (e.g., R, JMP, SPSS).

Preferred Qualifications:
1) Mangrove restoration experience (propagule collection, water-table grow-out, in-field out planting, restoration success evaluation), ideally with the Caribbean mangrove species: Rhizophora mangle, Avicennia germinans, and Laguncularia racemosa;
2) Experience developing and growing citizen science, science education, or science communication programs;
3) Experience managing and supervising small teams, and mentoring students (or willingness to learn);
4) Experience with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and software (e.g., Esri ArcMap, Google Earth Engine); and
5) Ability to coordinate and conduct tasks in remote formats, and experience with software to facilitate that work (e.g., Zoom).
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
1) Demonstrated strong field research skills;
2) Demonstrated ability to work in team settings and meet tight deadlines with tangible deliverables;
3) Demonstrated ability to complete personally-assigned tasks with a high degree of independence;
4) Demonstrated verbal and written communication skills (including examples of scientific journal publications) and ability to work with a range of partners and collaborators, including students, faculty, staff, professionals, organizations, and the general public;
5) Demonstrated ability to work closely with and serve public citizen scientists across a diverse range of ages, education levels, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds with a high degree of motivation and respect; and
6) Strong desire to learn new skills and tools and receive instruction and training.


For more information to or apply, please go to this link: https://careers.uvi.edu/postings/4156

Thank you!


Kristin Wilson Grimes, Ph.D. she/her/hers
Director, Virgin Islands Water Resources Research Institute
Research Assistant Professor of Watershed Ecology
Center for Marine & Environmental Studies
University of the Virgin Islands
2 John Brewer's Bay, St. Thomas, VI 00802
kristin.wilson at uvi.edu