Jobs:Job-01278

From CSDMS
Yale University Postdoctoral Associate position – mapping soil mineralogy to understand soil carbon storage
Yale University, Connecticut, United States
Start reviewing process: 20 July 2023


The Slessarev Lab is recruiting a Postdoctoral Associate (PA) for a two year position to study the global-scale geography of soil minerals and the role of soil mineralogy in facilitating soil organic carbon storage. The PA will be responsible for creating a harmonized global database of soil geochemical data and inferring soil mineralogical composition and chemical weathering indices from these data. The PA will apply a combination of statistical and process-based modeling approaches to partition the roles of environmental and geologic drivers in determining soil mineralogy and create global spatial predictions of major soil minerals. The PA will also explore regional associations between soil mineralogy and organic carbon stocks using observations derived from public data sources.

Candidates from backgrounds underrepresented in science are encouraged to apply. The PA will have the freedom to allocate 10% of their effort to outreach promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion or translating their research to support environmental justice. Yale University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Yale values diversity among its students, staff, and faculty and strongly welcomes applications from women, persons with disabilities, protected veterans and members of under-represented groups.

Core qualifications:

  • A PhD in soil science, ecology, geology, or any field dealing with Earth’s “critical zone”
  • Enthusiasm for studying soil formation as a natural process and its role in the carbon cycle
  • Coding proficiency (e.g., R, Python)
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills


Preferred skills:

  • Experience with process-based biogeochemical, geomorphic, or geochemical modeling, statistical modeling, or machine learning.
  • Experience with geospatial analysis.

Note: This position is heavily computational, but robust understanding of soil forming processes will be a priority when reviewing applications. Please feel free to apply even if you have only basic proficiency writing code provided that you are strongly motivated to learn computational skills on the job.


Application link: http://apply.interfolio.com/128453

To apply upload the following documents:

  1. A short (1 page or less) cover letter explaining
    1. What motivated you to apply for this position
    2. What relevant skills you bring
    3. What skills you hope to acquire.
  2. Your CV
  3. Contact information for three references,
  4. A writing sample (e.g., published or in prep manuscript or dissertation chapter)


Review of applications will begin 7/20/23 on a rolling basis and end when the position is filled

Of interest for:
  • Terrestrial Working Group