The Mid-Continent Ecology Division in the US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development has an opening for a postdoctoral research associate with the National Research Council (NRC) Research Associateship Programs (RAP). This is a full-time, 12-month position, with a funding period of at least two years (pending annual review). The candidate must have completed a PhD in economics, urban planning, geography, sustainability, urban ecology or closely-related field prior to the start date. We seek a candidate with strong writing and analytical skills and an interest in studying the human well-being implications of environmental cleanup, waterfront revitalization and Brownfields reuse in the Laurentian Great Lakes context. We anticipate that a number of approaches could be used in this research context, including (but not limited to) economic models, data mining, optimization methods, geospatial data analysis, ecosystem services tradeoff analyses, and empirical research.  Knowledge of Great Lakes geography, urban communities, and ecology is advantageous.

The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary team of scientists (Drs. Joel Hoffman, Kathleen Williams, Ted Angradi using environmental, economic, demographic, and sociological data to examine how human well-being is impacted by a variety of programs and projects implemented at local scales in and near Great Lakes communities including Brownfields reuse, Area of Concern clean-up, Superfund, and waterfront redevelopment. Possible focus areas for this research include developing and testing reliable social and economic indicators of human benefits, avoiding unintended social consequences of revitalization, and scenario tradeoff analyses. Duties will include data collection, data analysis, presenting research findings and conferences, and manuscript preparation. The position will be located in Duluth, MN (www.epa.gov/med).

References

Angradi, T.R., Launspach, J.J., Bolgrien, D.W., Bellinger, B.J., Starry, M.A., Hoffman, J.C., Trebitz, A.S., Sierszen, M.E. and Hollenhorst, T.P., 2016. Mapping ecosystem service indicators in a Great Lakes estuarine Area of Concern. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 42(3), pp.717-727.

Angradi, T.R., Williams, K.C., Hoffman, J.C. and Bolgrien, D.W., 2019. Goals, beneficiaries, and indicators of waterfront revitalization in Great Lakes Areas of Concern and coastal communities. Journal of Great Lakes Research.