UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
Position Highlights
The School of Natural Resources and the Environment (SNRE) and the USDA-ARS Southwest Watershed Research Center (SWRC) are jointly hiring a Postdoctoral Research Associate. The successful candidate will be co-advised by Associate Professor William K. Smith (SNRE) and Senior Researcher Russell L. Scott (SWRC). The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher trained in plant physiological approaches and with research experience in water-limited ecosystems.
Work will focus on the physiological functioning of water-limited plants and ecosystems under intensifying hydroclimate extremes. The successful candidate will lead research at the SECA flux tower network (Semiarid ECohydrological Array), which includes eddy covariance flux tower sites – one shrubland, two grasslands, one savanna, and a mixed conifer site – along a water limitation gradient of sites within 100 km of Tucson, Arizona. All sites are collecting weather and AmeriFlux measurements of water, energy and carbon exchange continuously over the last 12‑20 years. Due to their location within the Santa Rita Experimental Range (NEON Core Site for the Desert Southwest) and the USDA Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, these USDA‑ARS sites have LiDAR, NEON airborne remote sensing, comprehensive water balance measurements, soil respiration data, and tower-based remote sensing including multiple thermal imagers and solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) spectrometers, and they have been subjects of numerous dryland empirical, remote sensing, and modeling studies.
The postdoc will join a collaborative team but will also have ample freedom to develop their own research questions and hypotheses.
Outstanding U of A benefits include health, dental, vision, and life insurance; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; U of A/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; access to U of A recreation and cultural activities; and more!
Duties & Responsibilities
Lead analysis of remote sensing data at the field, drone, and satellite scale.
Demonstrate field-based physiological approaches, e.g., photosynthesis, transpiration, plant water potential, leaf or stem psychrometers, chlorophyll fluorescence, spectral reflectance.
Perform spatiotemporal analysis using R, Python, and/or comparable programming languages.
Present results at national conferences.
Develop manuscripts with the aim of publishing at least one paper a year in a high-impact journal.
Minimum Qualifications
PhD in ecosystem ecology or a related field.
Proven publication record in peer-reviewed scientific journals and a demonstrated high level of productivity.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience in dryland ecosystem ecology, with a previous research focus on linking ecosystem fluxes and remote sensing, and on satellite and/or proximal remote sensing.
FLSA
Exempt
Full Time/Part Time
Full Time
Number of Hours Worked per Week
40
Job FTE
1.0
Work Calendar
Fiscal
Job Category
Research
Benefits Eligible
Yes - Full Benefits
Rate of Pay
NIH Salary Guidelines, Depends on Experience
Compensation Type
salary at 1.0 full-time equivalency (FTE)
Type of criminal background check required
Name-based criminal background check (non-security sensitive)
Number of Vacancies
1
Contact Information for Candidates
William Smith wksmith@arizona.edu
Open Date
10/28/2025
Open Until Filled
Yes
Documents Needed to Apply
Resume and Cover Letter
#J-18808-Ljbffr
The School of Natural Resources and the Environment (SNRE) and the USDA-ARS Southwest Watershed Research Center (SWRC) are jointly hiring a Postdoctoral Research Associate. The successful candidate will be co-advised by Associate Professor William K. Smith (SNRE) and Senior Researcher Russell L. Scott (SWRC). The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher trained in plant physiological approaches and with research experience in water-limited ecosystems.
Work will focus on the physiological functioning of water-limited plants and ecosystems under intensifying hydroclimate extremes. The successful candidate will lead research at the SECA flux tower network (Semiarid ECohydrological Array), which includes eddy covariance flux tower sites – one shrubland, two grasslands, one savanna, and a mixed conifer site – along a water limitation gradient of sites within 100 km of Tucson, Arizona. All sites are collecting weather and AmeriFlux measurements of water, energy and carbon exchange continuously over the last 12‑20 years. Due to their location within the Santa Rita Experimental Range (NEON Core Site for the Desert Southwest) and the USDA Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, these USDA‑ARS sites have LiDAR, NEON airborne remote sensing, comprehensive water balance measurements, soil respiration data, and tower-based remote sensing including multiple thermal imagers and solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) spectrometers, and they have been subjects of numerous dryland empirical, remote sensing, and modeling studies.
The postdoc will join a collaborative team but will also have ample freedom to develop their own research questions and hypotheses.
Outstanding U of A benefits include health, dental, vision, and life insurance; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; U of A/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; access to U of A recreation and cultural activities; and more!
Duties & Responsibilities
Lead analysis of remote sensing data at the field, drone, and satellite scale.
Demonstrate field-based physiological approaches, e.g., photosynthesis, transpiration, plant water potential, leaf or stem psychrometers, chlorophyll fluorescence, spectral reflectance.
Perform spatiotemporal analysis using R, Python, and/or comparable programming languages.
Present results at national conferences.
Develop manuscripts with the aim of publishing at least one paper a year in a high-impact journal.
Minimum Qualifications
PhD in ecosystem ecology or a related field.
Proven publication record in peer-reviewed scientific journals and a demonstrated high level of productivity.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience in dryland ecosystem ecology, with a previous research focus on linking ecosystem fluxes and remote sensing, and on satellite and/or proximal remote sensing.
FLSA
Exempt
Full Time/Part Time
Full Time
Number of Hours Worked per Week
40
Job FTE
1.0
Work Calendar
Fiscal
Job Category
Research
Benefits Eligible
Yes - Full Benefits
Rate of Pay
NIH Salary Guidelines, Depends on Experience
Compensation Type
salary at 1.0 full-time equivalency (FTE)
Type of criminal background check required
Name-based criminal background check (non-security sensitive)
Number of Vacancies
1
Contact Information for Candidates
William Smith wksmith@arizona.edu
Open Date
10/28/2025
Open Until Filled
Yes
Documents Needed to Apply
Resume and Cover Letter
#J-18808-Ljbffr