Postdoctoral Research Associate Plant Physiology and Soil Carbon Sequestration

Position Information

The Department of Natural Sciences (DNS) at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore invites applications for a full-time, grant-funded Postdoctoral Research Associate to lead a Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities project on soil carbon accretion in agricultural soils using cover crops, corn, and switchgrass. Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications.

The project focuses on increasing the utilization of cover crops and switchgrass as feedstocks for anaerobic digestion of chicken litter for biogas generation and the resulting changes in soil carbon during production and by the incorporation of digestate as a soil amendment in corn production. Applicants should have experience measuring soil carbon pools and fluxes, assessing plant performance, and be able to work within a multidisciplinary team evaluation crop production, soil greenhouse gas budgets, and economics of a sustainable system integrating cover crops and biogas production into the chicken industry on the Delmarva Peninsula. Responsibilities Measure plant growth and productivity.Assess soil carbon fluxes and pools.Direct undergraduate workers.Collaborate with fellow researchers from the University of Maryland.Present data to scientific and farmer partner audiences.Produce scientific manuscripts and extension informational flyers.Performs other related duties as assigned. Classification 19- Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations Required Qualifications PhD in plant biology or related discipline.A record of publishing scientific reports.Experience measuring soil carbon pools and fluxes, and assessing plant performance. Preferred Qualifications Required Knowledge, Skills, Abilities Skilled in measuring soil carbon pools and fluxes.Skilled in assessing plant performance, including photosynthetic gas exchange and shootand root productivity.Skilled in manuscript production.Skilled in serving in a leadership of a research team.Statistical analytical skills. Certifications/Registrations N/A

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