Postdoctoral Fellow (Blue Carbon Initiative)

Postdoctoral Fellow (Blue Carbon Initiative)

Application Deadline: 31 July 2025

Department: Office of the Under Secretary for Science & Research

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Washington, DC

Compensation: $69,923 - $90,898 / year

Description

OPEN DATE: July 3, 2025                   CLOSING DATE: July 31, 2025             POSITION TYPE: Trust FundAPPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary (NTE 3 years)SCHEDULE: Full Time DUTY LOCATION: Edgewater, MD

Position sensitivity and risk: Non-Sensitive

Travel Required: Yes

Open to all qualified applicants 

What are Trust Fund Positions?Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program, which may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).  Conditions of Employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated.
• Complete a Probationary Period.
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
• The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States.  Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
• Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 

OVERVIEW

The Smithsonian Institution (SI) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have launched an innovative partnership to advance sustainability research and shape a more resilient future through a cohort of jointly mentored postdoctoral scholars. Both organizations have a rich history of leveraging science, technology, and community engagement to advance solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges affecting people and nature. Building on a longstanding history of collaboration, SI and TNC are once again joining forces to drive cutting-edge research and innovation for a resilient and prosperous planet. This initiative will support cohorts of emerging scientific leaders, empowering them to work hand-in-hand with communities to co-create evidence-based solutions that strengthen resilience. Each institution will host up to three Postdoctoral Fellows. While Fellows will be embedded in research and professional development activities across both organizations, they will be housed and receive HR support through their hiring institution. This advertisement is for a postdoctoral fellowship based at the Smithsonian Institution. The Postdoctoral Fellow will be co-mentored by a team of scientists from both SI and TNC, including at least one mentor from each organization. The fellow will play a key role in strengthening collaboration between the two institutions by contributing to joint research agendas, shared work plans, and coordinated communication and advocacy. This postdoctoral opportunity is designed for recent Ph.D. graduates seeking the next step in their scientific careers. The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D. in a relevant science field, with the degree awarded by the position’s start date. They will demonstrate a strong interest in conservation science and a commitment to advancing innovative and impactful science that supports the scientific and conservation priorities of SI and TNC. The successful candidate will bring experience in collaborative research, a breadth of cultural perspectives, and a passion for contributing to the effectiveness of SI and TNC as science-based organizations. They will work to accelerate SI's progress towards our 2030 goals and building a more resilient planet.  This is a 3-year temporary position, expected to start on or before October 1, 2025. 
    
This prestigious fellowship comes with additional opportunities funded through the joint partnership with TNC. During the three-year term, all members of the cohort will receive advanced, in-person communications training and additional professional development opportunities. SI fellows will have access to a limited budget for travel, research, conference and publishing funds in addition to their annual salary. 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Postdoctoral Research In Enhancing Resilience In Coastal Wetlands
  
Coastal wetlands (salt marshes, mangroves, and seagrasses) are critical ecosystems for coastal communities across the world, they support important services and livelihoods, as well as hosting globally significant biodiversity. They are also natural climate solutions, contributing to climate adaptation, buffering storm energy, and climate mitigation, via carbon capture and storage in biomass and carbon rich soils. Despite these critical ecosystem services, coastal wetlands remain threatened by human activities, while opportunities to restore these areas are not being prioritized. The Smithsonian Institution (SI) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) are working towards solutions to promote the protection and restoration of coastal wetlands, through the bridging of the recently launched Blue Carbon plus initiative of TNC and the Coastal Carbon Network of SI. The aim of this project is to improve our understanding of coastal wetland dynamics and to build pragmatic pathways that promote their resilience, and the communities that rely upon them. This will be achieved by taking a seascapes approach in the generation and activation of critical information around carbon quantification and financial opportunities for on the ground protection and restoration interventions. Our teams understand the importance of local ecological knowledge to facilitate leadership and effective participation of indigenous peoples and local communities, and the co-develop and implementation of best practices for long-term success of projects. The complementary initiatives plan to combine efforts to harness the strengths of each institution, and our networks, to co-develop long-term sustainable strategies to build resilient coastal wetlands. 

POC: Steven Canty (cantys@si.edu)
  
Duties and Responsibilities include:

• Review, draw methodological insights from and synthesize relevant scientific literature.
• Manage and analyze data and write up findings for peer-reviewed publications. 
• Design experiments and collect data. 
• Develop visualizations for communicating research results.
• Deliver tools, data, analytical support, field services and training to staff and partners.
• Contribute to grant writing and other fundraising efforts.
• Work collaboratively though influence and building professional relationships. 
• Undertake internal partnerships and collaborations to support above functions and responsibilities.
• May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, in hazardous terrain and under physically demanding circumstances.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Quantifying Coastal Wetland Carbon:

• Knowledge on coastal wetlands ecology and biogeochemistry.
• Knowledge on geospatial modeling (proficiency in GIS techniques in R, Python, ArcGIS, etc.).
• Proficiency in R statistical computing environment (or Python, Matlab, etc.).
• Database management skills.
• Field experience on coastal wetlands related to carbon inventories.

Understanding Coastal Wetland Futures:

• Expertise in geospatial modeling, spatial statistics, and remote sensing.
• Knowledge of coastal wetlands ecology & land change dynamics.
• Proficiency in spatial and statistical computing platforms like R, Python, Google Earth Engine, ArcGIS, GRASS GIS, QGIS, etc.
• Experience working with large datasets.
• Experience with ecosystem services valuation, cost-benefit analyses, social and environmental impact assessments, or carbon markets a plus.

 Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package. Any false statement in your application may result in rejection of your application and may also result in termination after employment begins.  Join us in "Inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery." 
Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week.  

What To Expect Next: Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager. Relocation expenses are not paid.

The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact washingtonka@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.  To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures (https://www.si.edu/OEO/IndividualswithDisabilities).  The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. To review The Smithsonian's EEO program information, please click the following: https://www.si.edu/oeo