Post Master's Research Associate - Coastal Communities and Ecosystem Science

at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Boise, Idaho, United States

Overview

The Coastal Sciences Division, headquartered at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratorys Sequim Marine Research Operations on Washington States Olympic Peninsula, is the Department of Energys only marine research laboratory. This unique facility and the capabilities of its researchers deliver science and technology that is critical to the nations energy, environmental and security future.

Building upon a history of research related to marine and coastal resources, environmental chemistry, water resources modeling, ecotoxicology and biotechnology-and more recently, national and homeland security-the MSL is emerging as a leader in these three areas:

+ Enabling sustainable development of ocean energy .

+ Understanding and mitigating long-term impacts of human activities, including climate change, on marine resources.

+ Protecting coastal environments from security threats.

Responsibilities

PNNL seeks a creative, collaborative, and talented post-masters research associate to conduct research on the effects of global change on coupled human-natural systems and to develop innovative solutions to support energy resilience and independence for coastal communities experiencing increases in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters. A strong and reliable energy grid is essential for national security, economic growth, and the well-being of American communities. Federal policies that invest in resilient and secure energy infrastructure will help to meet the demands of a growing nation. As the nation modernizes its energy systems, it is critical to protect coastal communities from the negative impacts of poorly planned infrastructure projects and understand opportunities for communities to influence their future energy systems. Energy policy has the potential to balance innovation with responsibility, ensuring that development strengthens local economies, community resilience, and environmental stability.

The selected candidate will have the opportunity to contribute to research in three main areas:

+ Advancing social-ecological frameworks and conceptual models for energy development and implementation in coastal communities.

+ Modeling ecosystem services to inform renewable energy generation and transmission development.

+ Developing approaches and tools to understand and respond to the needs of rural and remote coastal and communities engaging in energy security and resilience.

+ Quantify ecosystem services to understand th