Postdoctoral Research Associate

Position Title:  Postdoctoral Research Associate (University of Georgia)

Salary:  $60,000

Hours per week: 40

Education Required: Doctorate

Experience Required: Research expertise in wildlife habitat management or plant ecology

Start date:  1/2/2025

Description:  Full-time, 18 month term with extension dependent on funding and performance

DUTIES            

The successful candidate will join a team of researchers from the University of Georgia at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory in Aiken, SC led by Dr. Travis DeVault working on a study funded by the US Navy. The purpose of this project is to identify an improved vegetation management regime for the southeast region Navy airfields by identifying airfield cover plants that are not attractive to birds and other wildlife. Bird strikes to aircraft on military airfields continue to be a major concern in terms of both cost of damage to aircraft and loss of life. Candidate species will be identified, grown in a greenhouse, monitored and scored for traits necessary for airfield establishment, and used in feeding trials with captive birds and mammals.

This position will oversee all day-to-day tasks of the project, including candidate plant acquisition, some plant care, plant monitoring/data collection, animal care, and feeding trials with captive deer, small mammals, and birds. The postdoc also will lead efforts to obtain necessary permits and reporting for the animal experiments. Lastly, the postdoc will lead a review of vegetation management practices at military airfields throughout the southeastern U.S. The selected candidate will also have the opportunity to develop their own additional research questions.

REQUIREMENTS

1)      Ph.D. degree in wildlife ecology, plant ecology, or related field by start date of position.

2)      Excellent written and oral communication skills.

3)      Demonstrated competency in modern data analysis techniques.

4)      Strong publication record commensurate with time since degree.