Luc Hoffmann Institute Fellow
Opportunity:
Assessing sustainable agriculture/forestry commodity
standards
The Luc Hoffmann
Institute, based at WWF International, Switzerland, seeks a post-doctoral fellow. This fellow will work with an interdisciplinary
Collaborative Research Team (CRT) to assess the degree to which such
sustainability standards are leading to better environmental, economic and
social outcomes and whether these standards can help society meet the future
demand for agriculture products while sustaining important environmental
services and biodiversity. Results of analysis will be used to recommend
improvements in the design of standards for better conservation outcomes. The
goal is to assess the potential environmental, economic and social benefits and
costs of WWF’s publically supported commodity sustainability standards with
models that translate producer-level actions into predictions of
landscape-scale environmental and social impacts.
This is a 24-month position that can begin as early as January
2014 and is based in St. Paul, Minnesota with domain mentors at WWF-US with Dr.
Derric Pennington and at University of Minnesota with Dr. Jon Foley and Dr.
Steve Polasky.
Major Duties &
Responsibilities: In collaboration with the mentoring team, the Fellow will:
· Co-lead
and coordinate collaborative research team activities
· Co-develop
and apply an integrated biophysical (e.g., agriculture yields, water use and
quality, carbon emissions, habitat for biodiversity) and economic modeling approach
that includes identifying and linking sustainability commodity standards to
measurable indicators
·
Co-develop
alternative land use/land cover scenarios of land-use change under different
climate and demand projections
·
Conduct
post hoc empirical analyses to inform model assumptions given available data
and research needs
·
Manage research intern to collect necessary data
Required Qualifications, Skills and Competencies
· - PhD
in ecology, geography, economics, conservation science, ecosystem science or
related field.
· - Strong
skills in quantitative modeling, statistics, economic valuation, systems
thinking, geographic information systems, computer programing (preferred).
· - Demonstrated
experience with agriculture and environmental issues, project management, statistical
software programs (e.g., R, Matlab)
· - Strong
research and writing skills, excellent command of English, other languages an
asset
· - Strong
interest in applied, real-world conservation problem-solving
· - Ability
to work both independently and cooperatively in a team.
· - Adheres to WWF’s values, which are:
Knowledgeable, Optimistic, Determined and Engaging.
Eligibility
This fellow opportunity is open to candidates of all
nationalities, gender and age. We are
specifically interested in hearing from those who have deep roots in the
regions of the globe where conservation-science leadership is most needed, such
as Africa and Madagascar, the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America and the
Caribbean. Regardless of background, we
are looking for highly skilled, interdisciplinary, action oriented candidates
TO APPLY: Preference will be given to applications
received by October 30, 2103. Please submit cover letter,
CV, and two professional references to: Sandrine Jimenez, Assistant to the
Director, Luc Hoffmann Institute: sjimenez@wwfint.org.
The Luc Hoffmann
Institute Mission
The Luc Hoffmann Institute was created by WWF, the world’s largest conservation
organization, to respond to the most important questions facing conservation
and sustainable development. A boundary organization by design, the Luc
Hoffmann Institute connects research capacity and multi-disciplinary thought
leaders from around the world with WWF’s global network of practitioners and
scientists. Together, we synthesize existing knowledge, create new ideas and
support collaborative innovation. In co-creating evidence-based solutions, we
link the best available science to better policy planning and more effective
field practices, to enable people and nature to thrive together on a living
planet.
Lavanda
