Postdoctoral Fellow

Job Posting Title:

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Hiring Department:

Department of Marine Science

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Aug 01, 2025

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Jul 31, 2027

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Location:

PORT ARANSAS, TX

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Job Details:

General Notes

A postdoctoral researcher position is available to work with Dr. Ken Dunton at The University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, TX, starting August 2025 (negotiable). Research in the Dunton lab is broadly focused in estuarine ecology, with a strong emphasis on marine vegetation, from subtropical marshes and seagrasses to High Arctic kelp, with strong connections to interdisciplinary studies (see: https://marinescience.utexas.edu/directory/kenneth-dunton)

The research program associated with this postdoctoral position is specifically focused on a coast-wide survey of seagrass distribution along the Texas Gulf Coast. The State of Texas is committed to a seagrass “Tier 1” mapping effort that complements on-going “Tier 2” rapid assessment studies under a broader effort to restore and protect coastal seagrass resources. The proposed mapping project involves acquisition of high-resolution modern satellite imagery and the application of deep convolutional neural networks (DCNN) for image analysis.

Candidates for the position are expected to have exceptionally strong backgrounds in GIS, computational science and expertise in other sciences (biology, ecology, physics/engineering, etc.) and programming (e.g. R, Python, etc.). The successful candidate is also expected to coordinate field sampling efforts for map validation and accuracy assessment.

Responsibilities

• Review of relevant literature

• Acquisition and orthorectification of satellite imagery (a separate budget is provided)

• Coordination with state, non-profit, and federal agencies

• Produce high resolution maps of seagrasses in Texas coastal waters

• Coordinate ground-truthing for map validation

• Preparation of manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals

• Present research results at professional conferences

• Student mentorship and collaboration

Required Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant field (computational sciences, marine science, biology, geosciences, or other), earned within 3 years of start date.

• Peer-reviewed publications that are relevant to mapping in coastal ecosystems using high spatial resolution satellite imagery

• Exceptional written communication abilities

• Strong programming experience

• Familiarity with machine learning algorithms (e.g., DCNN, XGBoost, SVM, Neural Networks)

• Familiarity with GIS software (e.g., ArcGISs, QGIS)

• Experience with modern image classification techniques to produce thematic maps from satellite imagery and other supporting data layers

• Experience with high performance computer clusters (e.g, TAMU-HPRC, UT-TACC, NVIDIA Data Center).

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in estuarine ecology, aquatic vegetation

• Experience with image analysis

• Experience in mentoring and collaborations

• Experience with fieldwork

Salary Range

$70,000

Working Conditions.

• May work in all weather conditions

• May work in remote marine or estuarine field sites, under especially hot conditions

• May travel to UT-Austin main campus for meetings (1-2 times/yr)

• May work around standard office conditions

• May work around chemicals

• May work around electrical and mechanical hazards

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Required Materials

• Resume/CV

• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Please make sure you meet all the required qualifications and you can perform all of the essential functions with or without a reasonable accommodation.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]
• E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.