Postdoctoral Landscape Ecologist

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Postdoctoral Landscape Ecologist

Cherokee United Services is seeking a Postdoctoral Landscape Ecologist in Lafayette, Louisiana. This role supports landscape-scale research on coastal wetland responses to extreme events, including droughts, hurricanes, and freeze events.

Compensation & Benefits: 

Compensation is commensurate with experience. 

Full-time benefits include Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), and other possible benefits as provided. Benefits are subject to change with or without notice.

Postdoctoral Landscape Ecologist Responsibilities Include:

• Conduct literature reviews focused on the effects of extreme events on coastal wetland ecosystems.
• Develop research hypotheses regarding coastal wetland responses to drought, hurricanes, freeze events, and other extreme environmental conditions.
• Acquire, organize, document, and analyze abiotic and extreme-event data that characterize environmental drivers of ecological change.
• Acquire and analyze long-term remote sensing data to quantify spatial and temporal effects of extreme events on coastal wetlands.
• Acquire and analyze long-term field-based ecological data to assess impacts of extreme events on coastal wetland vegetation and ecosystem conditions.
• Apply landscape ecology and coastal wetland ecosystem science to investigate wetland stability, plant productivity, vegetation performance, and vegetation coverage.
• Integrate historical climate, vegetation-change, geospatial, remote-sensing, and ecological datasets to support landscape-, regional-, and global-scale analyses.
• Develop and maintain complete technical documentation for datasets, analytical workflows, methodologies, and project activities.
• Produce Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)-compliant metadata for data products and deliverables.
• Maintain organized project records, timekeeping documentation, data logs, analytical code, and version-controlled project materials.
• Prepare publication-ready figures, tables, data sets, data releases, reports, and journal articles that summarize research methods, findings, and key conclusions.
• Communicate research results and findings to staff, project partners, customers, cooperators, and other stakeholders.
• Participate in and help facilitate project meetings, partner meetings, technical discussions, and research-planning activities.
• Present research findings through conference presentations, partner briefings, scientific meetings, and other outreach opportunities.
• Assist with technical aspects of proposal development, as assigned.
• Prepare and submit monthly status reports that describe project progress, completed work, issues encountered, proposed solutions, and upcoming activities.
• Follow established standard operating procedures, quality requirements, safety procedures, information-security requirements, and applicable federal policies.
• Support field-based data collection activities, when required.
• Travel to field sites, meetings, or partner locations as required by the task order.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

Experience, Education, Skills, and Abilities Requested:

• Doctoral degree in ecology, geography, landscape ecology, coastal ecology, environmental science, or a closely related field strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise in landscape ecology and coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics required.
• Experience evaluating ecological responses to extreme events, including droughts, hurricanes, freeze events, flooding, storms, or other climate-related disturbances preferred.
• Experience using remote sensing, geospatial data, historical climate datasets, vegetation-change products, or comparable environmental data sources required.
• Demonstrated ability to acquire, manage, analyze, and interpret long-term ecological, environmental, geospatial, and remote-sensing datasets.
• Experience conducting spatial and temporal analyses at landscape, regional, and/or global scales preferred.
• Strong knowledge of coastal wetland vegetation, wetland stability, plant productivity, vegetation performance, and ecosystem response to environmental stressors preferred.
• Ability to develop scientifically sound research questions, hypotheses, study approaches, and analytical methods.
• Demonstrated experience preparing peer-reviewed journal articles, technical reports, scientific figures, tables, data products, and presentations.
• Familiarity with federal scientific-data requirements, metadata standards, data documentation practices, and reproducible research methods.
• Ability to develop FGDC-compliant metadata and maintain thorough documentation for datasets, analytical procedures, and research products.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex scientific findings clearly to technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with federal scientists, partners, cooperators, customers, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound professional judgment, manage competing priorities, and deliver accurate, timely work.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to data quality, documentation, and customer specifications.
• Ability to successfully complete a federal background investigation and maintain required access credentials.
• Ability to meet fieldwork-related safety, physical, and travel requirements, as needed.

Company Information:

Cherokee Federal is a division of tribally owned federal contracting companies owned by Cherokee Nation Businesses. As a trusted partner to federal clients, Cherokee Federal rapidly builds innovative and advanced solutions across environmental science, national security and intelligence, cybersecurity, health care, logistics, and other mission-critical areas. One hundred percent of Cherokee Federal profits support Cherokee Nation citizens through health care, education, and job creation. To learn more, visit cherokee-federal.com.

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Cherokee Federal is a military friendly employer. Veterans and active military members transitioning to civilian careers are encouraged to apply.

• 5 Keywords:
  • Landscape Ecology
  • Coastal Wetlands
  • Remote Sensing 
  • Extreme Events
  • Ecological Data Analysis

• 5 Similar Job Titles:
  • Coastal Wetland Scientist
  • Landscape Ecologist
  • Environmental Research Scientist
  • Geospatial Ecologist 
  • Coastal Ecosystem Scientist

Legal Disclaimer: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to protected veteran status, disability, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. Many of our job openings require access to government buildings or military installations.

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