Postdoc: Relationships between water quality and tropical marine ecosystem status

We are seeking a post-doctoral research scientist to assist the South Florida and Caribbean Inventory and Monitoring Network (SFCN) in development of long term monitoring of vital sign indicators to evaluate park ecosystem health. The postdoctoral scientist will help develop, write, implement, and modify quantitative assessment methods for evaluating relationships between water quality and benthic marine communities in national parks in South Florida and the Caribbean region. These methods can include: assessing existing monitoring for efficiency, power, and practicality; and developing analytical methods for data analysis and reporting. The research scientist will be a visiting research scientist under the direction of Drs. James Fourqurean and Joseph Boyer in the Southeast Environmental Research Center at Florida International University but will be housed at SFCN. The term of appointment is 1 year with the possibility of renewal; the starting salary is $41,000 plus fringe benefits.
Position description and required qualifications--Candidates must have a Ph.D. and experience in field sampling and statistical analysis of data; marine ecological monitoring experience is preferred. Candidates should be able to interact with scientists and resource managers, to design and implement statistical analysis approaches, and to write up results for publication. To apply, submit a curriculum vitae, statement of research interests, and contact information for two references. In addition, please answer the three questions on knowledge, skills and abilities that can be found at http://www.fiu.edu/~seagrass/SFCNpostdoc.html. Application materials should be e-mailed to Dr. James Fourqurean at Jim.Fourqurean@fiu.edu. To assure consideration, applications should be received by September 15, 2010. Florida International University is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access/Affirmative Action Employer.

The Southeast Environmental Research Center at Florida International University, operated through and located on the main campus of Florida International University, is composed of faculty, research associates, students and technicians from a variety of disciplines who work together on environmental research efforts in the Southeastern United States and the neotropics. Research programs developed in Biscayne National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades National Park, Florida Bay, the Florida Keys and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary have been instrumental in providing a basis for management decisions for sustaining these fragile resources. For more information about SERC see http://serc.fiu.edu/.

The South Florida/Caribbean Inventory and Monitoring Network (SFCN) of the National Park Service is charged with providing long-term inventory and monitoring of South Florida and Caribbean parks. The SFCN network consists of seven parks: Big Cypress National Preserve, Biscayne National Park, Buck Island Reef National Monument, Dry Tortugas National Park, Everglades National Park, Salt River National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve, and Virgin Islands National Park. The network has nearly 2.5 million acres with dominant communities that include coral reefs, seagrass beds, dry tropical forests, mangrove forests, swamps and wetlands. The international significance of these natural resources is recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) through its Man and the Biosphere (MAB) program, which designated Dry Tortugas National Park, Everglades National Park, and Virgin Islands National Park as biosphere reserves. Additionally, Everglades National Park is a RAMSAR wetland of international importance and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ground-breaking natural resource management activities are being developed at a number of the parks within the network. Three of the parks (Big Cypress National Preserve, Biscayne National Park, and Everglades National Park) are affected by Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) efforts to restore portions of the larger Everglades ecosystem over the next century.
For back ground information on the SFCN see: http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/sfcn/
For more information on the SFCN long-term monitoring plan, please see: http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/sfcn/phase3/sfcn_vs_plan.pdf

For more information on the Water Quality Vital Signs (Nutrient Dynamics and Water Chemistry and Estuarine Salinity Pattern long-term monitoring vital signs, please see page 78 and 27 at: http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/sfcn/phase3/appendixes/Appendix_P...

For more information on the Marine Benthic long-term monitoring vital signs, please see page 34 at: http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/sfcn/phase3/appendixes/Appendix_Q...