USDA-FS Postdoctoral Fellowship in Reforestation Silviculture and Genetics
*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.
USDA Forest Service Office/Lab and Location: A fellowship opportunity is available with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (FS) within the Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSWRS). The opportunity is remote but being in or near California is desired for participation in field measurements. Depending on proximity, the selected candidate may opt for Placerville, Davis, Vallejo, Redding, or Arcata, California.
At the heart of the USDA Forest Service's mission is their purpose. Everything they do is intended to help sustain forests and grasslands for present and future generations. Why? Because their stewardship work supports nature in sustaining life. This is the purpose that drives the agency’s mission and motivates their work across the agency. It’s been there from the agency’s very beginning, and it still drives them. To advance the mission and serve their purpose, the USDA Forest Service balances the short and long-term needs of people and nature by: working in collaboration with communities and our partners; providing access to resources and experiences that promote economic, ecological, and social vitality; connecting people to the land and one another; and delivering world-class science, technology and land management.
Research Project: Western U.S. land managers face a daunting backlog of reforestation needs even as condition supporting tree establishment become increasingly marginal in many areas. This research fellowship will join a team of research forester and geneticists addressing knowledge gaps related to reforestation in an era of increasing stress and disturbance. The research fellow will help maintain a newly established network of experimental silviculture and genetics plots while leveraging existing long-term studies and datasets to meet urgent questions in the near-term.
The research fellow will participate in the remeasurement and data management of a newly established experimental network and a long-term, ponderosa pine, initial spacing and thinning trial. The fellow will be able to interact with both local and regional land managers to share results. The fellow will also be able to travel to national or regional conferences to disseminate findings and develop professionally. Possible independent research projects include:
- Examining the outcomes of long-term provenance trials;
- Testing whether interactions between reforested conifers and shrubs conform to the stress-gradient hypothesis
- Physiological measurements of newly established assisted migration trials.
- Greenhouse and bare root seedling fields are also available for independent projects.
Learning Objectives:
- Improve knowledge of science and knowledge gaps regarding reforestation under increasing disturbance
- Advance skills for modeling silviculture and genetics treatment outcomes
- Gain advanced data analysis skills in the data management, analysis, and visualization of long-term experiments
- Gain knowledge of field methods and experimental design
- Experience collaborating as a fellow in a research project team
- Learn about pursuing original research
Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Christopher Looney (christopher.looney@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: March 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.
Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for 10 months (March - December 2026) but may be extended upon recommendation of USDA Forest Service and is contingent on the availability of funds.
Level of Participation: The appointment is full time participation
Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The anticipated stipend is $6,898.33 monthly. Fellows may receive up to $738.88 monthly stipend for health, vision, and dental insurance reimbursement. The fellow would also have up to $18,000 for travel and national conference attendance, such as the Society of American Foresters National Convention.
Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) only.
ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and USDA Forest Service. Participants do not become employees of USDA, USDA Forest Service, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.
Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email ORISE.USFS.PSWRS@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should have received or be currently pursuing a master's or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past five years or be currently pursuing.
Preferred skills:
- At least one degree in forestry, knowledge applicable to western U.S. coniferous forest ecosystems and management, and knowledge of experimental design, data management, and analysis.
- Demonstrated experience in scientific writing and data analysis.
- Education and experience in data management, analysis, and visualization in R.
Stipend
$6,898.33 Monthly
Point of Contact
Eligibility Requirements
- Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
- Degree: Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or currently pursuing.