POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH SCHOLAR | University of Iowa

Location

Iowa City, IA | United States

Job description

IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering (), the College of Engineering, and the department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences at the University of Iowa seeks a highly motivated postdoctoral research scholar to work on the Diverse Corn Belt project () under the supervision of Dr. Silvia Secchi. Pay is commensurate with experience. The appointment is full-time for 1 year, with the option for renewal depending on performance, work needs, and funding. This is an immediate opening and applications will be considered until a successful candidate is identified.

Research will focus on modeling alternative landscapes in the Corn Belt region on the basis of existing production patterns, land characteristics and infrastructure and building on the response to surveys and focus groups conducted by the project. The landscape scenarios will be connected to water and air quality models and will be used to help identify potential policies alternatives to the current setup.

Key areas of responsibility include:

• Gathering and processing of existing datasets on land use, soil and environmental characteristics, and location of critical infrastructure such as elevators, ethanol and other agricultural products processing plants.


• Development of space-based algorithms on possible location of diversification of agricultural production in the region on the basis of the survey and markets components of the project.


• Estimation of environmental and agricultural production indicators for baseline and scenario landscapes.


• Preparation of datasets on the landscape scenarios in formats compatible with the needs of the other components of the project.


• Development of online scientific decision-support resources, informational maps, and GIS-related tools for the extension and policy components of the project.


• Document and report research results to the research team, project sponsor, stakeholders and in peer-reviewed literature.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work closely with faculty, staff, and students of the department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences () and with the interdisciplinary team of the Diverse Corn Belt project. The University of Iowa is one of the nation's top public research universities and is known around the world for its balanced commitment to the arts, sciences, and humanities. The University of Iowa is located in Iowa City, a community built around higher education, with vibrant cultural opportunities and a long history of international connections, leadership, and accomplishment. Iowa City offers the safe, friendly quality of life for which the Midwest is known. Information regarding some of the resources that the University of Iowa and the local area provide can be found at ().

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