Biogeochemist

The Water Institute is seeking a dedicated biogeochemist to join our team and make vital contributions to the understanding and quantification of carbon cycling and storage in coastal wetland and estuarine environments. The successful candidate will lead research efforts focusing on how redox conditions, hydrology, and plant-microbe-mineral interactions affect organic matter transformations and greenhouse gas fluxes in wetland soils.

The position will help conduct field work, prepare samples for analysis, and analyze data, to help improve quantification of the carbon budget for Louisiana coastal wetlands at scales of hectares up to hundreds of hectares. Publishing this work in peer reviewed literature will be essential. The position will also work closely with partners from academia, industry, and local, state, and regional governments to generate exemplary, world-class applied research that supports data-driven decision-making for coastal management and restoration.

This is a full-time position that will work within a dynamic team of natural and social science researchers at The Water Institute. We are seeking a scientist who is an extremely motivated problem solver and wants to learn new skills, attract external funding, and is capable of effective cross-disciplinary collaboration. Responsibilities will reflect career stage and previous experience. The workload will vary from week to week, and the successful candidate will be flexible, willing to occasionally work evenings, and travel to meetings and conferences. The Institute expects to offer a competitive salary and benefits commensurate with a candidate's skills and experience. This is a full-time exempt position and is based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Required qualifications:

• PhD in Biogeochemistry, Soil Science, Environmental Science, Geochemistry, or a closely related discipline with one post doc or 2+ years of work experience.
• Domain expertise of soil and/or wetland biogeochemistry.
• Experience analyzing and visualizing data in R, Python, Matlab, and/or Julia.
• Ability to conduct field work in coastal wetlands, hike over uneven and wet terrain, and lift 50 lbs.
• Excellent interpersonal, teamwork, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Strong project management and time management skills.
• Ability to work harmoniously in collaborative research team.

• Pro-active attitude to problem solving, ability to work independently, and self-motivated.

Desired qualifications:

• Experience with soil sampling and organic and inorganic soil analysis, including assessing carbon and other nutrient accumulation rates, stocks, and fluxes.
• Experience with greenhouse gas flux measurements (e.g. chamber methods, eddy covariance), especially CO2 and CH4.
• Working knowledge of coastal wetland ecosystems, particularly those found in Louisiana.
• Field work experience in estuarine, coastal, or wetland ecosystems.
• Experience with GIS, integrated numerical models (such as Delft 3D, FVCOM, ROMS or SCHISM).
• Demonstrated ability to work across disciplinary boundaries and a willingness to work outside areas of expertise and develop new skills.
• Experience with machine learning and high-performance computing are considered a plus.
• Familiarity seeking funding from public, private, and/or federal sources.

How to Apply

Interested persons should apply online at The Water Institute of the Gulf's Career Center. Applications should include a cover letter highlighting accomplishments as they relate to the position, a full CV, and PDF copies of representative writing (e.g., thesis or peer-reviewed publications).