May 3, 2024 or upon receipt of the first 100 applications.
Full-time
Yes
$68,405 per year (GS-09) term position plus Federal term employee benefits.
Term – NTE 3 years
Edgewater, MD
Telework eligible
The Smithsonian Institution seeks an energetic, field- and data-oriented Biologist Postdoctoral Research Fellow to help develop and implement projects exploring the key drivers of oyster reef biogeography and ecology and apply that knowledge in conservation and restoration. The postdoctoral research fellow position is a Federal term position with a maximum of three years employment. We especially seek applicants with strong writing skills and experience in field research and data synthesis. The fellow will be hosted in SERC’s Fisheries Conservation Lab, working on projects related to the Our Shared Future: Life on a Sustainable Planet Initiative (https://science.si.edu/) and MarineGEO program (https://marinegeo.si.edu/).
Oyster Reef Ecology
Biogenic reefs, created by living marine organisms, are the foundations of marine ecosystems throughout the world, supporting biodiversity and ecosystem services critical to human health and livelihoods. Oyster reefs have declined by 85% from historical abundances and are functionally extinct in many regions. The causes of these declines are many, including overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, and disease, but reefs now face additional, increasing pressure from rapid human population growth and development and rapid ocean warming and acidification.
We seek a postdoctoral fellow who will take innovative approaches to exploring how understanding responses of oysters to stressors can inform effective oyster and oyster reef conservation and restoration via ecosystem-based adaptation and nature-based solutions. The fellow will explore this topic working alongside Smithsonian scientists and through a growing oyster reef research network to facilitate comparative studies at large spatial scales.
This position is based at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, MD and requires occasional travel. Research and education at SERC address grand challenges in environmental science by working across ecological scales, conducting long-term field studies, and engaging in comparative, synthetic studies. Our scientists collaborate across the Smithsonian Institution and beyond, with federal and state agencies, universities, and international organizations. We value public engagement and have strong programs in citizen science, science education, and science communication.
This is a full-time, Federal term position with a comprehensive benefits package. The position is open to US citizens only. The Smithsonian Institution is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of race/ethnicity, national origin, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, marital/parental/caregiver status and disability. The SERC community recognizes the value of diversity in promoting innovative science and creative solutions, and we strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.
Requirements for these positions include:
- One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-7 level in the federal service or comparable pay band system. This specialized experience is defined as research investigating oyster reef ecology or marine biodiversity conservation or related subject area, or
- Two years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master’s degree or master’s or equivalent graduate degree in the subject area of ecology, environmental science, geography, biology, physical sciences or related subject.
- Your resume must describe your experience and skills in each of the following:
- Research program development and management
- Communication and publication
- Professional service
- Research grant and/or contract proposals
- Your resume must state the start and end dates of each position held (MM/YYYY) and the number of hours worked each week (e.g., 40 hrs/wk). Other tips for applying for Federal positions can be found at https://serc.si.edu/careers/tips-applying-federal-jobs.
- For additional requirements, please refer to the USAJobs advertisement.
Applications must be submitted only through the USA Jobs Vacancy Announcement: 24R-ST-310702-DEU-SERC
Please address questions about the position announcement to: LSP_Fellow@si.edu.
NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AT THIS ADDRESS.
SERC is a research center of the Smithsonian Institution, located in Edgewater, MD on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, approximately 10 miles south of Annapolis, 40 miles west of Washington DC, and 40 miles south of Baltimore. SERC’s 2,650-acre campus is a living laboratory for long-term ecosystem research on forests, farmland, wetlands, shorelines, and estuaries. The SERC campus contains a laboratory and office complex, as well as education and waterfront facilities, dormitories for interns, and guest housing for visitors.
The Smithsonian Institution is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a policy of non-discrimination on the basis of race/ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, marital, parental, or caregiver status, and disability. The SERC community recognizes the value of workforce diversity, and we strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. We recognize that each applicant for this role will bring unique skills, knowledge, experiences, and background to this position.
