Postgraduate Research Opportunity in Fire Ecology
*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.
A research opportunity is currently available with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Rocky Mountain Research Station located in Missoula, Montana.
The Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) is part of the Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program of the Rocky Mountain Research Station. The Rocky Mountain Research Station works at the forefront of science to improve the health and use of our Nation's forests and grasslands, and the FEIS supports this mission by transferring scientific information about fire and ecology to managers, specialists, and planners.
The FEIS (www.feis-crs.org/feis/), supports fire and natural resource management by providing accessible syntheses of information on the effects of fire on individual species and ecosystems. The FEIS contains approximately 1,100 syntheses/literature reviews (i.e., Species Reviews) covering 1,167 taxa in the United States. Species Reviews include information on plant and wildlife species’ life history, ecology, and relationship to fire, and are widely used by federal, state, and local government employees and by students, researchers, and the general public. Of the Species Reviews covered in the FEIS, about half of them are 20 years old, making them less helpful to natural resource managers and specialists.
Under the guidance of a mentor, the participant will be involved in updating out-of-date Species Reviews, which will be reviewed and edited by the FEIS editors and then published online. FEIS staff will mentor the participant in how to synthesize scientific publications from hundreds of sources and how to clearly write scientific literature reviews to be published in the FEIS. The participant will gain valuable skills in accessing, analyzing, critiquing, and synthesizing scientific literature (mostly ecological and fire-related) and in writing clearly and concisely to help managers use the best available science when making management decisions. As a part of the Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program in the Missoula Fire Science Laboratory, the participant will also be exposed to all types of fire science.
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: July 2020
This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and the USFS. The initial appointment is for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of USFS contingent on the availability of funds. The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE. The appointment is full-time at USFS in the Missoula, Montana, area. Participants do not become employees of USFS, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits.
For more information about the USFS Research Participation Program, please visit the Program Website.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should have received a master's or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields.
This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals. Non-U.S. citizen applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Non-U.S. Citizens Details page of the program website for information about the valid immigration statuses that are acceptable for program participation.
If you have questions, send an email to USForestService@orise.orau.gov. Please include the reference code for this opportunity (USDA-USFS-2020-0111) in your email.