Postdoctoral Scholar

Position overview
Position title: Postdoctoral Scholar
Salary range: Commensurate with qualifications and experience. The posted UCSC salary scales set the minimum pay based on the individual’s Experience Level, which is determined by the number of months of postdoctoral service at any institution. See the salary scale titled, Postdoctoral Scholar-Employee /Postdoctoral Scholar-Fellow / Postdoctoral Scholar-Paid Direct -Fiscal Year. A reasonable estimate for this position is a minimum annual salary of $70,000.
Percent time: Full-time (100%)
Anticipated start: As soon as possible after initial review of the applications. Ph.D. must be in hand at time of the initial appointment.
Position duration: Maximum Duration of Service in a Postdoctoral Title: Postdoctoral Scholar appointments are full-time and the initial appointment is for a minimum of two years, with the possibility of reappointment. The total duration of an individual’s postdoctoral service may not exceed five years, including postdoctoral service at any institution.

Application Window

Open date: October 4, 2023

Most recent review date: Friday, Oct 20, 2023 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications received after this date will be reviewed by the search committee if the position has not yet been filled.

Final date: Sunday, Dec 31, 2023 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position description

Associate Professor Marcella M. Gomez of the Department of Applied Mathematics at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) invites applications for a postdoctoral researcher. We seek self-motivated applicants to join a new research effort in Data-driven Modeling for Prediction and Control of Collective Systems. This research is part of the Scientific Artificial Intelligence Center, or SciAI Center recently established in Cornell with a grant from the Office of Naval Research. Other participating institutions include the United States Naval Academy, the California Institute of Technology, the University of Cambridge, Brown University, the University of California, Berkeley, and Integer Technologies. The project aims to establish cross institutional collaborations to advance the field. This is a two-year appointment subject to renewal based on performance evaluation. Funding is available for up to three years. UC Santa Cruz cannot consider applicants with more than five years of postdoctoral experience or equivalent.

The department of Applied Mathematics at UCSC is part of the Baskin School of Engineering, and one of the very few applied mathematics departments housed in an engineering school nationwide. Established in 2018, the department offers a unique multidisciplinary and vibrant working environment, with modern laboratory and office space equipped with desktop computers, printers and copiers, mini-clusters, computing infrastructure, conferences rooms with standardized conferencing capabilities, and extensive network access for faculty, staff, students, and visitors. Nestled in a beautiful redwood forest above the city of Santa Cruz, the department embraces groundbreaking interdisciplinary research across engineering, physical and mathematical sciences. Our proximity to Silicon Valley, and our satellite campus there, afford opportunities and avenues for collaboration with researchers working in the many research and development labs in Silicon Valley, as well as with the other San Francisco Bay Area Universities.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the forefront of our path to excellence in Baskin Engineering. UC Santa Cruz is a Minority-serving Institution (MSI) with a high proportion of first-in-family students. UC Santa Cruz is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU, an association of the top research universities in the US), a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), a member of the Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Research Universities (HRSU), a member of the Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions (CAHSI), an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI), and a member of several identity and ethnic affinity professional societies. We encourage applications from those who align with our Principles of Community .

Job duties: The research work is in distributed systems design through development of a multi-scale modeling framework that facilitates composable design of the distributed network. The work will be developed through a systems biology approach. Agent-based models (ABMs) of collective systems such as swarms of fish will be used to map agent-to-agent interactions to population-level dynamics leveraging data-driven methods. The postdoctoral researcher will be expected to work in collaboration with graduate students. There is also an educational component to the SciAI Center, which is of equal priority. One of the goals of the center is to develop a skilled workforce in SciAI. Undergraduate students will be recruited in their first years and prepared to undertake research in SciAI. The postdoctoral researcher will help in the development of learning modules and lead workshops . The postdoctoral researcher will receive mentorship and professional development in inclusive teaching and pedagogy.

• 10% Duties: Research meetings
• 25% Duties: Training in education
• 65% Duties: Working on research and publications. The postdoctoral research will also support documentation for annual reporting requirements.

Applicants with the following experience are strongly encouraged to apply:

• Background in Chemical Reaction Network theory
• Background in Uncertainty Quantification
• Background in finite state abstractions

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
All documents and materials must be submitted as PDFs and should be emailed to Associate Professor Marcella M. Gomez at [email protected] .

Please refer to Position #JPF01632 in all correspondence.

Required Documents/Materials

• Letter of application that briefly summarizes your qualifications and interest in the position.
• Curriculum vitae.
• List of professional references. Applicants must provide the names and contact information for a minimum of three references (a maximum of five will be accepted).

RECRUITMENT PERIOD
Full consideration will be given to applications completed by October 20, 2023. Applications received after this date will be considered only if the position has not been filled.

Qualifications
Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

• Ph.D. (or equivalent foreign degree) in a STEM field (e.g., artificial intelligence, computer science, computational and applied mathematics, etc.).
• Background in control and dynamical systems.
• Experience with methods in data-driven modeling.
• Programming skills in python.

Help contact: [email protected]

About UC Santa Cruz

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. UC Santa Cruz is committed to excellence through diversity and strives to establish a climate that welcomes, celebrates, and promotes respect for the contributions of all students and employees. Inquiries regarding the University’s equal employment opportunity policies may be directed to the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 or by phone at (831) 459-2686.

Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UCSC positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check (see https://www.uscis.gov/e-verify ). The university sponsors employment-based visas for nonresidents who are offered academic appointments at UC Santa Cruz (see https://apo.ucsc.edu/policy/capm/102.530.html ).

UCSC is a smoke & tobacco-free campus.

If you need accommodation due to a disability, please contact Disability Management Services at [email protected] (831) 459-4602.

UCSC is committed to addressing the spousal and partner employment needs of our candidates and employees. As part of this commitment, our institution is a member of the Northern California Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (NorCal HERC). Visit the NorCal HERC website at https://www.hercjobs.org/regions/higher-ed-careers-northern-california/ to search for open positions within a commutable distance of our institution.

The University of California offers a competitive benefits package and a number of programs to support employee work/life balance. For information about employee benefits please visit https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/index.html

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

VISIT UC Santa Cruz: https://www.ucsc.edu

Job location
Santa Cruz, California