Postdoctoral Researcher - Global Change Ecology & Sustainable Agricultural Landscapes, Ucsb, Santa Barbara, CA

The Larsen agricultural and landscape ecology lab in the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UCSB is seeking a Postdoctoral Researcher in global change ecology, conservation & sustainable agriculture as

part of a new UCSB-Conservation International initiative. In 2021, the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) and Conservation International (CI) launched the Arnhold UC Santa Barbara-Conservation International "Climate Solutions Collaborative'' to advance research towards tangible, science-based environmental solutions.

The "Spatial Planning for Climate Change: Land Use for Conservation, Agriculture, and Energy (SPARCLE)" subproject, led by Ashley Larsen (UCSB) and Patrick Roehrdanz (CI), is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher.

Mounting evidence has emphasized the urgency of using land more efficiently as the global land squeeze will increasingly place the land area needed for people's food, feed and fiber security, and the land required to support a stable climate and healthy ecosystems, in direct conflict with one another. As such, there is an urgent need to develop the science underlying forward-looking land use planning that can simultaneously support thriving human and natural communities.

We are seeking a highly motivated and independent Postdoctoral Researcher to lead analyses advancing understanding of how people and biodiversity are responding to changing climate and land use, and develop strategic land use planning to balance the growing demands placed on land for agricultural and renewable energy production with the urgent needs of biodiversity conservation. More specifically, the Postdoctoral Researcher will explore questions such as:

● What are the tradeoffs in multifunctional landscapes, as they pertain to e.g. agricultural yields or energy production as well as ecosystem service provision and biodiversity?

● How will climate and land use change impact movement of conflict prone species such as elephants and the likelihood of conflict events?

The Postdoctoral Researcher will also have the opportunity to develop independent research topics under the SPARCLE umbrella, and collaborate with other academic and NGO partners to integrate the science of climate-smart planning into conservation action and broader land management decision-making.

The Postdoctoral Researcher will lead methodological development and analyses, author publications and presentations targeting scientific and policy audiences, and serve as a technical resource on a diversity of exciting projects on which the UCSB-CI team are collaborating. The Postdoctoral Researcher will also be expected to travel to remote field sites and staff offices, cultivate collaborative relationships with domestic and international researchers, and mentor undergraduate and graduate students.

Salary and Benefits: Postdoctoral Researcher position, with salary commensurate with qualifications.

Position open until filled.

The Department is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through research, teaching and service.