Post-Doc

Microbial Molecular Biology

Post-Doctoral Associate
Microbial Molecular Biology for Bioremediation
Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University
Summary:
Post-Doctoral position, dependent on grant funds. This is a one year appointment with the opportunity for a second year appointment.
Ph.D. in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Environmental Engineering or closely related field is required. The successful candidate should have demonstrated ability to conduct research in a university setting and to mentor students.
Expertise and Job Responsibilities:
Demonstrated expertise is required in the area of development and application of microbial molecular tools including metagenomics, transcriptomics, PCR, qPCR, DGGE and/or microarrays to characterize bacteria and functional genes in contaminated groundwater aquifers, soils and/or sediments. Experience in bioinformatics and statistics for molecular-based data analyses is also required. Experience in application of molecular tools for assessment and decision making in contaminated site assessment is preferred.
The successful applicant will apply molecular techniques for characterizing contaminant-transforming microorganisms and functional gene markers in the environment. These tools will be applied to sites in New Jersey undergoing active remediation or remedial investigation for the purpose of guiding management decisions. Applicants should be familiar with collection apparatus and chain of custody protocols for retrieving, shipping and storing site samples.
Work Experience:
Previous post-doctoral experience is preferred.
How to Apply:
To apply, please send as a single pdf file, a cover letter, c.v. and the names and contact information for three references to Prof. Donna Fennell at fennell@envsci.rutgers.edu. Review of applications will begin immediately and will close on March 1, 2012. Rutgers University is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

Bioremediation and molecular microbial ecology

Position summary
A Postdoctoral Research Associate position is available in a collaborative project of the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering (CHEE) and the Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science (SWES). The selected candidate will conduct research on the fate and remediation of new munition ingredients (aromatic- and aliphatic nitro compounds), prepare timely reports on the results of this research in the form of peer-reviewed papers and scientific presentations, supervise graduate and undergraduate students, and write research grant proposals to various funding agencies. The candidate will be expected to have working knowledge in the fields of contaminant (bio)-transformation and molecular microbial ecology, and should have a proven track record of exemplary research publications, presentations, and excellent communication skills. Part of the research is subject to the U.S. Arms Export Control Act, which may limit participation of nationals from some foreign countries in the project.
The candidate will be hired with an initial contract for one year that can be extended for an additional 1.5 years with satisfactory performance.

Duties and responsibilities
- Responsible for molecular ecology research of munition compounds-degrading microorganisms.
- Conduct independent research on various aspects of the fate and (bio) remediation of aromatic and aliphatic nitro compounds.
- Assist with managing a research team of graduate and undergraduate students.
- Write research reports and peer-reviewed manuscripts.
- Represent the research team in various scientific conferences and technical forums.

Additional minimum qualifications
- Doctoral degree in environmental engineering, environmental science, microbiology, or related fields.
- Research experience in molecular microbial ecology.
- Ability to work both independently and within collaborative teams.
- Excellent writing and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications - Research experience in one or more of the following fields is desirable:

- DNA-stable isotope probing (SIP).
- Research experience in fate and (bio)transformation of contaminants.
- Microbial and aquatic toxicity.
- Analytical skills (extraction of organic compounds from sediments and analysis by HLPC-MS).
- Experience supervising the day-to-day work of graduate and undergraduate students.

Application
Interested candidates should send a cover letter highlighting their relevance experience and research interests, curriculum vitae, a list of three references, and copies of 1 or 2 publications. To apply online please access the job posting at the following link:

https://www.uacareertrack.com/applicants/jsp/shared/frameset/Frameset.js...

For more information about current research projects contact Prof. Jim Field at jimfield@email.arizona.edu.

Computational Air Quality Engineering and Health

Postdoctoral Research Position - Computational Air Quality Engineering and Health

The University of South Florida has an immediate opening for a post-doctoral scholar in the field of computational air pollution engineering and health. This position will support a multi-investigator project funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences focused on understanding impacts of commuting on exposures to traffic-related air pollution and resultant health effects, with implications for urban transportation planning and public health choices. Research will occur under the direct supervision of Associate Professor Amy Stuart, with close collaboration with Getachew Dagne (University of South Florida), John Volckens (Colorado State University) and Jennifer Peel (Colorado State University). The scholar's research will involve development and application of an integrated air pollution modeling system that combines mechanistic air pollutant fate and transport modeling, path-following exposure estimation using geographical information systems, and Bayesian updating with measurement data. In addition to quantitative work, the scholar will be expected to prepare manuscripts for publication and to present scientific findings at conferences.

The selected candidate will have a PhD degree in a quantitative science or engineering field, with research experience developing and applying computational models to environmental systems. Previous research specialization in air pollution modeling is desired. Programming experience is required, with preference given to applicants with experience with Fortran, Matlab, and Unix / Linux. Experience with high performance parallel computing, Bayesian statistics, and/or data assimilation is desirable. The desired candidate has strong quantitative skills (including experience in mathematics through partial differential equations, numerical methods, and statistical modeling), experience and knowledge of chemistry, demonstrated communication skills (both written andoral), good organizational and time management skills, the ability to work both independently and within collaborative teams, and enthusiasm for science in the public interest.

The position is a full-time position with a duration of up to 3 years, contingent upon satisfactory performance and continued funding. The appointment may be through the Department of Environmental and OccupationalHealth (College of Public Health) and/or the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (College of Engineering). Salary will be competitive and commensurate with qualifications. The comprehensive benefit package includes a full suite of insurance options and a "paid time off" program. Additional information for prospective USF post-doctoral scholars is provided at: http://usfweb2.usf.edu/hr/benefits/Post_Docs.html

To apply, please send a cover letter, academic resume, and list of potential references to Prof. Amy Stuart (astuart@hsc.usf.edu; phone 813-974-6632). Review of applications will begin immediately. The position will remain open until filled.

Water/Wastewater Treatment Post-Doctoral Position

The Drinking Water Research Group of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Toronto is looking for a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher in water or wastewater treatment. Applicants should have a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related field, with a strong background in physical/chemical processes. The candidate must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills and demonstrate a strong capability of conducting independent research and preparing scientific publications. The candidate will also be expected to assist in training students at different levels and writing research proposals. Several projects may be available, including an examination of granular activated carbon for the control of organic micropollutants, investigations on membrane fouling, and the application of advanced oxidation for tertiary wastewater treatment for the control of emerging trace organic contaminants. Appointments typically last for 1 to 2 years. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Interested applicants are to submit a CV, transcript (unofficial is acceptable), one page statement of professional objectives, and names and contact information for two references to Prof. Ron Hofmann at ron.hofmann@utoronto.ca.

Membrane separations. New membrane materials

We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral research associate to work on the development, characterization and testing of new membrane materials for applications in water treatment and reuse. Research topics include materials design of polymer nanocomposite membranes, development of functional coatings for ceramic membranes, and evaluation of novel membranes in standalone and hybrid separation processes. The primary responsibilities of the postdoc will include conducting research, supervising Ph.D. students, assisting with laboratory management and project administration, and contributing to the development of research proposals.

Required qualifications:
1) A Ph.D. degree in Environmental Engineering or a related field.
2) Demonstrated experience with
- design and operation of membrane separation systems;
- synthesis of polymeric and polymer nanocomposite membranes;
- spectroscopy and microscopy methods for membrane and nanomaterials characterization (e.g., SEM, TEM, AFM, XRD, XPS, FTIR, DLS);
- analytical methods for environmental analyses (e.g., HPLC, ICP, AA).
3) Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Expertise in ceramic membrane preparation would be helpful but is not a requirement.

Appointment:
The appointment will be in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The postdoc will work under the supervision of Prof. Vlad Tarabara and will collaborate with multiple research groups at MSU that form the recently funded Strategic Partnership “Advanced membrane technologies for a sustainable future.” Duration of the appointment will be initially for one year with possible extension for up to 3 years depending on performance. The position start date is April 2, 2012 or as soon as possible thereafter. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. The compensation package is competitive.

Contact:
Interested persons should send curriculum vitae, a brief statement of career goals and research experience, and contact information of three to five professional references to Prof. Tarabara via email: tarabara@msu.edu.

MSU is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents must provide documentation verifying employment authorization in the United States.

Postdoc Positions in Green roof design & remediation technologies

The RESTORE (Research for Subsurface Transport and Remediation) group at the University of Western Ontario invites applications for two 1 to 3 year post-doctoral fellowships and two PhD positions. One postdoctoral fellowship position and one PhD position is related to an assessment of green roof performance with a specific focus on the attenuation of stormwater runoff and evaporative cooling. The second postdoctoral fellowship and PhD position are for the development of innovative groundwater remediation technologies. Postdoctoral fellow applicants should have a PhD in a relevant discipline and publications in highly respected journals.

1) For the green roof research experience in numerical modeling of energy and/or water balance equations in the vadose zone and field experience in designing and implementing automated measurement systems (i.e., dataloggers, instrumentation and field methods) will be considered an asset.
2) For the remediation research experience in developing nanometals for contaminated site remediation, conducting field work, and familiarity with GC and HLPC systems would be considered an asset.

Successful candidates will work as part of a collaborative team with researchers from Queen’s University, Saint Mary’s University and the University of Toronto.

The successful candidates will join the dynamic and growing RESTORE research group (http://www.eng.uwo.ca/research/restore/) recently awarded over $6 million for experimental and modelling investigations of innovative remediation technologies and green roof design. The new postdoctoral fellows and students will join a research group that includes 20 graduate students, 6 postdoctoral fellows and three laboratory technicians.

The University of Western Ontario is situated in picturesque, London, Ontario, a city of approximately 340,000 along the banks of the Thames river (http://www.londontourism.ca/ and www.london.ca). It is located within a two hour drive of Toronto and Detroit. The University of Western Ontario is a leading Canadian academic institution that has made a commitment to excel as a research intensive university (http://communications.uwo.ca/about/waywewere.htm). The university frequently ranks among the top universities in Canada most recently being ranked #1 by the Globe and Mail (the leading national daily newspaper in Canada) in its annual university report card of most satisfied students:
http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/01333/Canadian_Universit_...

Informal inquiries and applications (including a cover letter, CV, and the contact information for three references) should be directed to Denis O’Carroll (docarroll@eng.uwo.ca).

Environmental Engineering Post-Doctoral Position

We are considering extraordinary candidates for a prestigous in-state program described below. Interested candidates should submit Part 1a and a sample of Part 1b to Prof. Paul Westerhoff (p.westerhoff@asu.edu) no later than January 15, 2012. Additional information is available at http://www.sfaz.org/. You can propose to work with any of the environmental faculty at ASU. Bisgrove Postoctoral Scholars Program Information. The Bisgrove Scholar Program is intended to: • attract the highest quality post- scientists and engineers to Arizona institutions • fund a period of innovative research in strategic areas that enhances the Scholar’s career and provides a foundation for ultimately attracting federal funding and/or industry support • Provide the Scholar with a foundation that will help ensure her/his professional success. The Bisgrove Postdoctoral Award will be a $60,000, benefits, and an annual research allowance of $20,000. Bisgrove Postdoctoral Scholar Application. The following four items should be included in your application package: 1. The narrative should be single spaced, 12pt font and maximum length 8 pages and include: a. Describe your career interest, which, in the light of your background and past achievements, makes you an exceptional Bisgrove Scholar candidate. (Maximum length: 1 PAGE) b. Explain your proposed plan of research/scholarship with a focus on multidisciplinary interests, why your interests would be a good match for our institution, and why a Bisgrove award would, in the long term, not only benefit you but also the state of Arizona; describe experiences, if any, you have had disseminating scientific knowledge to a variety of audiences and any interactions with the community at large. (Maximum length: 5 PAGES.) c. Discuss your expectations of the mentor-mentee relationship in view of your prior experiences/observations. (Maximum length: 1 PAGE) d. The Bisgrove Scholars Program allows for selection of several mentors, including a primary research mentor, as well as a mentor in a complementary discipline and/or an individual belonging to an affinity group of interest to the Scholar. Please identify your preferred mentors and explain these choices in terms of the research plan described in above. (Maximum length: 1 PAGE) 2. Curriculum Vitae 3. Official or unofficial transcripts from all college and universities attended 4. Three faculty recommendation letters

Postdoc - ecosystem services, economics, engineering

Incorporating Ecosystem Services into Restoration Assessment and Targeting

Applications are invited for an interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Associate position at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences, Chesapeake Biological Lab, in Solomons, MD. The candidate will work with Dr. Lisa Wainger (waingerlab.cbl.umces.edu) and Dr. Margaret Palmer (www.palmerlab.umd.edu) to develop an analysis framework, including model and database components, for assessing ecosystem services to inform restoration policies.

Ecosystem services are increasingly becoming the currency for measuring the potential benefits of restoration and preservation decisions, yet rigorous and systematic guidance for their measurement remains elusive. This effort will involve leveraging existing literature, data and models to develop a guiding framework for ecosystem service measurement that is specific to the needs of US Army Corps of Engineers for evaluating aquatic restoration projects. Other ongoing research is developing integrated ecological and economic models to demonstrate cost-effective and evidence-based approaches for ecosystem service measurement using case studies in invasive species management, wetland mitigation and water quality trading or offsets.

Successful applicants will be expected to integrate ongoing research to develop conceptual approaches and empirical models for measuring selected ecosystem processes in a manner that reflects socially beneficial outcomes. The applicant will be responsible for producing literature summaries, databases and models through collaborative efforts with other researchers, modelers and model end users. Field work is not expected but may be possible, if desired.

The appointment will initially be for one year, with possibility of renewal. The position offers a competitive salary plus benefits. Start date is flexible but current or near-term availability is desirable.

Applicants must have a Ph.D. in a relevant area such as economics, decision science, engineering, or ecology; strong analytical skills including statistical modeling; interest or experience in environmental policy; and excellent communication skills.

Applications, including a cover letter, CV, one-page summary of research interests, and the names and addresses of three references to: arthur@cbl.umces.edu. Please reference: ARS - Wainger in the subject line. Applications should be submitted by January 23, 2012.

UMCES is an AA/EOE/ADA employer; women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Environmental Engineering, PCB fate and transport, bioaccumulation, food chain modeling

Post doctoral position for NIH Superfund Research Program project on PCB bioavailability in sediments
One post doctoral associate position is available starting January 2012 supported by a new NIH Superfund Research Program project. This research will advance the assessment of remediation effectiveness at Superfund sediment sites through a combination of improving the science of passive sampling, experimentally establishing the link between passive sampling measurement and human health risk drivers such as contaminants in fish, and developing and testing contaminant fate and bioaccumulation models that can use passive sampling measurements for decision making. The candidate will be expected to work in collaboration with researchers at the UMBC Institute of Marine Biotechnology to perform experiments on PCB bioaccumulation in fish and develop PCB food-chain models to interpret the results of the laboratory and field experiments to track transfer of PCBs from contaminated sediment to fish before and after treatment with strong sorbents. The candidate will also get an opportunity to contribute to another project evaluating the effectiveness of a full-scale sediment remediation in a PCB-impacted field site. Candidates with a background in Civil and Environmental Engineering or Chemical Engineering are preferred. Research experience in one or more of the following fields is desirable: fate and bioavailability of persistent pollutants, aquatic food-web modeling, sediment remediation, contaminant sorption/desorption process measurement and modeling, passive sampling measurement of PCBs in water, and biological uptake assessments.

Review of applications will begin January 1, 2012 and will continue until the position is filled. Interested candidates should send a cover letter highlighting their relevant experience and research interests, curriculum vitae, a list of three references, and copies of 1 or 2 publications to: Dr. Upal Ghosh, Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Technology Research Center Room 184, 5200 Westland Blvd Baltimore, MD 21227
UMBC is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.
For more information about current research projects visit: http://userpages.umbc.edu/~ughosh/ or contact Prof. Upal Ghosh at ughosh@umbc.edu

Environmental Engineering & Ecotoxicology

A postdoctoral position is available immediately for an NIEHS-funded study examining the bioavailability of organohalogen pesticides in Lake Apopka muck farms in Florida. The overall goal of the project is to validate and field-test a new sampling device that can actively sample contaminants in environmental waters at ultra-low detection limits and to compare obtained results to standard bioavailability assays with worms and fish. We will design a series of laboratory experiments with spiked sediments to measure transfer of organohalogens from pore-water in sediments to the sampler and at the same time measure transfer to worms and then to fish. There will also be a field component towards the end of the project, where we will apply the sampler directly in the field – to confirm projections from our lab studies. Complementary to these experiments, we will also test bioactivity of the organohalides in fish via microarray analysis and compare these results to some high-throughput, receptor-based assays.

The ideal candidate would be a person with strong analytical skills (organohalide extraction from sediments and tissues and analysis by GC-MS). Hands-on experience in fieldwork at hazardous waste sites and in the use of microarray and receptor-based in vitro assays would be a plus. Experience with modeling of contaminant bioavailability also would be beneficial. The job is open immediately and hopefully will be filled by mid-January. Interested individuals should send a CV to: ndenslow@ufl.edu at the University of Florida at Gainesville, FL.