Florida International University is a top public university that drives real talent and innovation in Miami and globally. Very high research (R1) activity and high social mobility come together at FIU to uplift and accelerate learner success in a global city by focusing in the areas of environment, health, innovation, and justice. Today, FIU has two campuses and multiple centers. FIU serves a diverse student body of more than 56,000 and 290,000 Panther alumni. U.S. News and World Report places dozens of FIU programs among the best in the nation, including international business at No. 2. Washington Monthly Magazine ranks FIU among the top 20 public universities contributing to the public good.

Postdoctoral Associate in Vegetation Dynamics Modelling at Institute of Environment, FIU

Position Description

A position for a postdoctoral associate is available at the Institute of Environment (IoE) (https://environment.fiu.edu/) at Florida International University (FIU). The successful candidate will work on a recently National Park Service (NPS)-funded project “Modeling freshwater prairie and marsh vegetation communities under Everglades Restoration scenarios”.  The goal of the project is to develop a spatially explicit predictive model for Everglades vegetation dynamics in response to major drivers. The major objectives are to explore the distribution models that discriminate among prairie and marsh vegetation assemblages along environmental gradients and simulate the vegetation dynamics using the Everglades Landscape Vegetation Succession (ELVeS) Model and the Everglades Vulnerability Assessment (EVA) platform. The postdoctoral scholar will refine, document and apply ELVeS, and potentially EVA, to develop a predictive model for prairie and marsh vegetation dynamics with changing environmental conditions under various hydrologic restoration scenarios.

ELVeS is a flexible modeling framework for exploration of non-normal plant distribution responses to environmental variables. A Bayesian version of the model has also been drafted, which incorporates statistical rigor and explicit measures of uncertainty. With the goal of taking this version of the model to its completion, the successful candidate will be working with a large database comprised of prairie and marsh vegetation observations, fine-scale LiDAR data-derived ground elevations, Everglades-wide hydrological modeling and observations, and other spatially explicit environmental data. The postdoctoral associate will also co-lead the documentation of methodology, ecological justifications, large scale statistical data exploration, model parameterization, validation, and user guidance.

The postdoctoral scholar will work with Dr. Jay Sah at the Institute of Environment at Florida International University (FIU), Miami, FL. The position is available for approximately two years.

Qualifications

Candidates for the position must have a Ph.D. in Ecology or a closely related field. Strong quantitative knowledge of statistical probability and probability-based modeling procedures used in spatial data analysis and vegetation dynamics modeling is required. The candidate should have extensive practical experience in the use of R and GIS. Demonstrated skills of Bayesian modeling and coding languages beyond R (e.g., Python) are desirable. The candidate should also have a demonstrated publication record in relevant fields and excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Application Details 

Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply to Job Opening ID 534968 at careers.fiu.edu and attach (1) a cover letter describing their research interest, (2) a curriculum vitae, and (3) three or more representative reprints with the document file name as following: “Vegetation Modeling Postdoc + [your last name]”. Candidates will be requested to provide names and contact information for at least three (3) references who will be contacted as determined by the search committee. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Please direct inquiries about this position to Dr. Jay Sah (sahj@fiu.edu).

Review Date

Review of candidates will start July 4, 2025, and continue until the position is filled.

FIU is a State University System of Florida member, Equal Opportunity, Equal Access, and Affirmative Action Employer for individuals with disabilities and veterans. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. For inquiries regarding nondiscrimination, contact FIU's Office of Civil Rights Compliance and Accessibility at 305.348.2785 or email ocrca@fiu.edu.