The application closing date for this Research Opportunity is January 4, 2008.

38. The value of ecological and landscape services

There is a growing need to link fundamental ecological and environmental processes and the services they provide (for example, water filtration, flood abatement, etc.) with socioeconomic factors to inform resource management and environmental sustainability decisions. Moreover, multiple methods are needed to account for and incorporate the value of ecological services into community and regional planning decision making. An understanding of these relationships is critical in evaluating threats to economic, social, and environmental sustainability, as well as in identifying tradeoffs associated with alternative land uses and resource management uses.

This postdoctoral research opportunity will involve research to develop new and innovative ways to enumerate the value of ecological services, and to link services to environmental, social, economic, and political systems, processes, and scales. As such, the research will be highly inter- and trans-disciplinary, involving the environmental, economic, and social sciences. The incumbent will work with a wide range of spatial and in-situ data generated by the USGS and other agencies in developing approaches. The incumbent will work with USGS environmental, social and economic scientists in establishing linkages and approaches. Geographic emphasis of the incumbent’s research will be in multi-disciplinary research areas ongoing within USGS (e.g., Integrated Landscape Monitoring, Priority Ecosystems, Multi-hazard Risk Assessment). However, other geographies may be selected based on availability of existing data and ability to establish quantitative linkages. Cross-scale (spatial and temporal) linkages will be a critical aspect of this research.

Products resulting from the incumbent’s research will include analytical approaches to understanding the value of ecological services, as well as indicators and models linking ecological processes and associated services to social, economic, political, and environmental drivers. These approaches and tools will be critical in developing and evaluating strategies to protect and restore important processes that maintain environmental quality, and at the same time, create and maintain economic growth and a high quality of life.

Proposed Duty Station: Menlo Park, CA; Tucson or Flagstaff, AZ; Vancouver, WA; Denver or Fort Collins, CO; Rolla, MO; Anchorage, AK; Sioux Falls, SD; Reston, VA; Boston, MA; or Annapolis, MD

Areas of Ph.D.: Ecological and environmental economics, economic geography, spatial modeling, GIS, geography, environmental science, landscape ecology

Qualifications: Applicants must meet one of the following qualifications: Research Geographer, Research Physical Scientist, Research Economist, Research Sociologist

(This type of research is performed by those who have backgrounds for the occupations stated above. However, other titles may be applicable depending on the applicant's background, education, and research proposal. The final classification of the position will be made by the Human Resources specialist.)

Research Advisor: Dianna Hogan, (703) 648-7240, dhogan@usgs.gov

Human Resources Office contact: Kathy McDuffie, (703) 648-7408, kmcduffie@usgs.gov

Summary of Opportunities