OPEN DATE: June 5, 2025
CLOSING DATE: June 19, 2025 (This job will close once 100 applications are received which may be sooner than the closing date.)
POSITION TYPE: Trust Fund
APPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary Not to Exceed Twelve (12) Months (may be extended based on funds availability)
SCHEDULE: Full Time
DUTY LOCATION: Bozeman, MT
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Open to all Qualified Applicants
What are Trust Fund Positions?
Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program and may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).
Conditions of Employment
INTRODUCTION
The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is located in the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI), Bozeman, MT. NZCBI plays a leading role in the Smithsonian's global efforts to save wildlife species from extinction and train future generations of conservationists.
SUMMARY
The Smithsonian Institution’s Great Plains Science Program and Conservation Ecology Center is hiring a postdoc. The position is based in Bozeman, Montana (under Smithsonian’s Great Plains Science Program). Currently, the position is expected to have one year of funding. The position is an IS-09 hire with a salary of $61,111 open to US citizens and nationals. The position is intended for an early-career scientist with expertise in soil ecology and grassland systems
LOCATION
Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Great Plains Science Program, Bozeman, MT.
The primary duty of this position will be to conduct a meta-analysis of soil responses to megaherbivores using a distributed network of collaborators in global grassland systems. The established network includes data from both ongoing soil collection by a network of partners and previously collected data from grassland sites inside and outside of fenced exclosures for large mammalian herbivores. The postdoc will aid partner coordination for the network and conduct a meta-analysis of soil responses to grazing (including both domestic and wild herbivores). Preference will be given to candidates with expertise in ecological statistics and strong abilities to communicate with diverse groups.
Second, the postdoc will have opportunities to conceive, develop, and conduct their own research related to soil ecology of grasslands. The primary field site area for the program includes short to mixed grass prairies of Eastern Montana owned by partners including the NGO American Prairie and US government agencies. Potential areas of research include interactions between soils and the following:
a. grassland reseeding efforts (with several previous and planned reseeded grasslands available for research opportunities),
b. mammalian grazing regimes (with local efforts including restoration of bison and prairie dogs),
c. insect communities (with opportunities to sample areas treated with insecticide and compare with untreated controls), and
d. microclimate (with ongoing research to identify local variation and drivers of microclimate).
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