The Institute of Marine Sciences [https://ims.ucsc.edu/] at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), working in conjunction with the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Fisheries Science Center (NOAA Fisheries), invites applications for the position of Postdoctoral Scholar.

The Postdoctoral Scholar will have expertise in economic modeling and will work directly on a new, multi-institutional project that will explore climate resilience and equity in California water management: COEQWAL (COllaboratory for EQuity in Water Allocations). The project brings together multidisciplinary researchers across many California institutions to broaden the scope and improve the interpretability and accessibility of projections for California’s managed water resources. This ambitious two-year effort will leverage expertise at many University of California campuses, including UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC San Diego/Scripps Institution of Oceanography, but also seeks to develop new expertise through the employment and training of postdoctoral scholars and other academic researcher positions who will assist in many technical aspects of the work.

The postdoctoral scholar will help develop and analyze economic assessment models to inform management of endangered salmon in California’s Central Valley. Specific tasks may include:

· Collect, summarize, and visualize economic and other data from publicly available, agency, and proprietary sources; such as agricultural water use, agricultural production, fisheries production, and hydrologic conditions

· Construct models of regional agricultural production and economics

· Construct models of regional fishery production and economics

· Work with economists, hydrologists, and ecologists to integrate economic models into combined models of climate, water use, and ecological dynamics

· Construct a framework for quantifying tradeoffs between user groups in water allocation problems

· Develop reproducible workflows

· Publish results in economics and interdisciplinary journals

Initial appointments are typically for a period of two years. Reappointment may be considered contingent upon the availability of work and appropriate funding. The hiring unit will not sponsor employment-eligible immigration statuses for this position. The postdoctoral scholar will be supervised by Dr. James Gilbert, Associate Project Scientist in the Fisheries Collaborative Program at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and will work closely with NOAA economics staff at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center.

The Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) is an organized research unit whose mission is to increase knowledge of the world’s oceans and inhabitants to better understand their economic importance and the impact people have on them. Through this effort, IMS maintains the responsibility to encourage, develop, and support marine research and education and does this by providing research opportunities, resources, facilities, and support for scientists within the institute and with other marine research institutions.

As part of its mission’s efforts, IMS launched the Fisheries Collaborative Program (FCP) to help foster research collaborations between NOAA scientists, UCSC faculty, IMS researchers, and students. The FCP’s research activities include field studies, laboratory experiments, modeling, and computational studies involving marine and freshwater species and habitats. Comprehensive studies are being conducted on the ecology and life history of Pacific salmonids and other fishes. FCP research supports the conservation of coastal biodiversity and the sustainable management of fisheries resources.

ACADEMIC TITLE

Postdoctoral Scholar

SALARY

Commensurate with qualifications and experience. Minimum annual salary rates are made based on the individual’s Experience Level, which is determined by the number of months of postdoctoral service at any institution. See current salary scale for Postdoctoral Titles at https://apo.ucsc.edu/compensation/salary-scales/index.html

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

· Ph.D. (or equivalent foreign degree) in the field of agricultural economics, economics, regional science, or a closely related field

· Demonstrated expertise in natural resource economics, environmental economics, agricultural economics, and/or production economics

· Expertise in econometrics or mathematical programming

· Experience with scripting languages for econometrics or optimization, data processing and visualization; for example, R (preferred), Python, MATLAB, or Stata

· Interest in working collaboratively with a team consisting of multiple disciplines in both natural and social sciences (e.g., economics, biology, fisheries, hydrology, agriculture)

TEAM PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

· Previous experience with multi-disciplinary projects

· Strong interest in applying economic analysis to natural resource management and protected species issues

· High potential for and some experience with publishing in economics or multidisciplinary journals and oral presentation to technical audiences

· Familiarity with water or fisheries issues in California or the western United States

TERM OF APPOINTMENT

Initial appointments are typically for a period of two years. Reappointment may be considered contingent upon the availability of work and appropriate funding provided the candidate has not exceeded their five year postdoctoral scholar eligibility.

POSITION AVAILABLE

As soon as possible after initial review of the applications.

HOW TO APPLY

Application materials can be submitted directly to fcp-hr@ucsc.edu.

DOCUMENTS/MATERIALS

· Cover letter describing your interest in the position and briefly summarizing your qualifications

· CV (including a list of publications)

RECRUITMENT PERIOD

Full consideration will be given to applications received by October 30, 2023. Applications received after this date will be considered only if the position has not been filled.

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