Postdoctoral Researcher

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division is seeking an innovative Postdoctoral Researcher to investigate the controls of soil carbon and nutrient cycling, and how these cycles are affected by soil temperature and soil depth.

You will contribute to a cutting-edge grassland soil-warming experiment in Point Reyes, California, and advance the mechanistic understanding of soil biogeochemistry and its role in plant-soil feedbacks. They will use field and laboratory measurements, including advanced and emerging techniques such as isotopic analysis, remote sensing, or AL/ML to study and scale the effects of soil warming, depth, moisture, and plant processes on ecosystem cycling of soil carbon, nitrogen, and other nutrients.

Join our dynamic research team of experts in soil biogeochemistry, plant and microbial ecology, geochemistry, and process-rich modeling. The primary advisor is Margaret Torn. If you are fascinated by terrestrial biogeochemistry, excited about fieldwork, and eager to engage with theoretical or predictive models, we encourage you to apply.

This position has an anticipated start date of March 1, 2027 but later dates will be considered.

You will:

• Contribute to carrying out a whole-soil warming experiment in collaboration with a multidisciplinary research team.

• Develop and pursue new research questions and innovative techniques related to soils and plant-soil interactions.

• Characterize carbon and nutrient cycling (e.g, N, P,) in the warming experiment, including trace gas fluxes.

• Measure and utilize elemental and isotopic composition of soil, plant, and/or gas samples.

• Communicate research outcomes in scientific publications and presentations.

• Set up, operate, and maintain field and laboratory instruments.

• Contribute to the development of grant proposals and progress reports.

Additional research opportunities:

• Evaluate model structures and parameters and contribute to the improvement of model capabilities.

• Participate in studies of plant physiological responses, proximal remote sensing, microbial carbon use efficiency and microbial community responses, or subsurface water and dissolved organic matter chemistry.

• Contribute to laboratory investigations of soil organic matter and organo-mineral interactions.

We are looking for:

• Recent Ph.D. in ecology, soil science, biogeochemistry, earth sciences, or a related field.

• Demonstrated expertise in biogeochemistry.

• Demonstrated experience conducting fieldwork.

• Experience handling large datasets and applying statistical analyses.

• Relevant laboratory experience.

• Ability to spend multiple days per month at a field site, including overnight stays.

Desired skills/knowledge:

• Proficiency in R, Matlab, or equivalent software for efficient data handling and organization.

• Background in modeling soil biogeochemical cycling.

• Familiarity with manipulative experiments.

• Experience monitoring microclimates.

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary research team.

The position will remain open until filled. However, for full consideration, please apply with the following application materials:

• Cover Letter - Describe why you are interested in this particular position in your own words (1-2 pages).

• Curriculum Vitae (CV) including publication list

• PDFs of 1-3 of your relevant publications