Postdoctoral Scholar in Agroecology/Climate Solutions

A Postdoctoral Scholar position is available to work on collaborative, interdisciplinary research on climate solutions in California. California’s landmark policy on methane emissions (SB 1383) mandates the diversion of 75% of organic waste from entering landfills by 2025. This policy will result in unprecedented use recycled organics for application to lands. There is an urgent need to develop decision support that can optimize the benefits of organics land application in the form of carbon sequestration, nutrient delivery, and water management while avoiding negative impacts, particularly to air and water quality. The project aims to develop decision support tools that will help realize the full benefits of California’s methane emissions policy.

The successful candidate will lead laboratory and field experiments focused on soil greenhouse gas emissions, carbon dynamics, and resilience of organic amended soils and on the biogeochemistry of food waste composting. These projects will address relevant knowledge gaps on composting and compost benefits, and the link between carbon, nitrogen, and water management. They will also contribute to an interdisciplinary partnership with researchers and stakeholders, including integrating experimental measurements and modeling efforts.

This position is funded by the University of California Climate Action Research program and is part of a collaborative team of researchers at UC Merced, UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, and UC Berkeley. The postdoc hired for this position will be expected to work independently and in teams, respectfully engage with community partners, develop novel research ideas, and write research papers in a timely manner. In addition, the postdoc will be able to mentor graduate students and undergraduate students who will work on relevant projects as needed.

The postdoc will be mentored by Dr. Rebecca Ryals, and will collaborate with a team of researchers at UC Merced, UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, and UC Berkeley.