Research Fellow (Traits)

Job Description

Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Traits)

The Department of Geography at the National University of Singapore (https://fass.nus.edu.sg/geog/ ) is seeking one full-time Postdoctoral Research Fellow (RF) with relevant experience to work on leaf and canopy traits in tropical Asia. The RF is expected to lead the field and lab work on collecting essential physiological and structural traits of plants in tropical Asia. The main field site will be in Singapore. The RF is expected to integrate the advanced knowledge in ecological theories and remote sensing to explore the key processes governing the variations in traits, and provide large scale estimate of traits. The ideal candidate is expected to be highly creative, have strong numerical and critical thinking skills, and the ability to work in a diverse environment.

The ideal candidate is expected to be highly creative, have strong numerical and critical thinking skills, and a working familiarity with the processes governing the terrestrial carbon cycle. This position is funded by the NUS presidential young professor award. The initial contract will be 1 year with the possibility of extending up to 3 years, contingent on satisfactory job performance. We provide competitive salary (> S$65k/year) for the position with the consideration of years of experience postgraduate.

The duties of the RF include: 

• Conduct field work to measure leaf photosynthesis and canopy structure.
• Undertake lab work to quantify key leaf traits (e.g., leaf nutrients, chlorophyll).
• The formulation and testing of ecological hypotheses.
• Develop remote sensing algorithm for traits derivation.
• Presentation of results at international conferences.
• Writing and publishing in scientific journals.

Interested candidates should submit an application comprising: 1) a letter of interest with details of their research experience, interest and future plan (1-2 pages), 2) a full curriculum vitae, with contact information for three references and 3) the PDF of your best paper (optional). For full consideration, please submit your application by Oct 30th, 2022. The posting shall remain open until the position is filled. 

NUS is one of the top universities in Asia, and its geography department has recently been ranked as the 5th best in the world. This position offers an excellent environment for working with a highly skilled interdisciplinary team and will provide chances to collaborate with researchers at both national and international institutes.

Please contact Dr. Xiangzhong (Remi) Luo (xzluo.remi@nus.edu.sg ) with any questions regarding the position or application process. 

Qualifications

• PhD in ecology, physical geography, earth science, plant physiology or a related field (preferably less than 3 years postdoctoral experience).
• Proficient coding skills in at least one of Matlab, R and Python.
• Knowledge of ecophysiology and plant biochemistry is a plus.
• Experience working with data relevant to plant traits, remote sensing or eddy covariance is a plus.
• Strong numerical and communication skills.
• Evidence of ability to publish results in relevant journals.
• An ability to work in an integrated team environment.

Covid-19 Message

At NUS, the health and safety of our staff and students are one of our utmost priorities, and COVID-vaccination supports our commitment to ensure the safety of our community and to make NUS as safe and welcoming as possible. Many of our roles require a significant amount of physical interactions with students/staff/public members. Even for job roles that may be performed remotely, there will be instances where on-campus presence is required.

Taking into consideration the health and well-being of our staff and students and to better protect everyone in the campus, applicants are strongly encouraged to have themselves fully COVID-19 vaccinated to secure successful employment with NUS.

More Information

Location: Block AS2-03-01
Organization: National University of Singapore
Department : Geograph
Employee Referral Eligible:
Job requisition ID : 17566