Job Type: Full-time, on-site
Location: Global Environmental Change Lab - Portland State University - Portland, OR
Salary: $34,000/year
Description:
A fire-related opportunity is available for an MS degree training at Portland State University as part of the 2nd cohort in the Research and Education for Cascading Hazards And Resilient Group Engagement (RECHARGE NRT) sponsored by the US National Science Foundation using a transdisciplinary Social-Ecological-Technological Systems framework with the engagement of diverse community partners.
To be eligible, prospective students should be interested in careers in basic and applied wildfire and drought-wildfire ecology and management, and a training experience that integrates research, fieldwork, policy, outreach, and engagement with federal and state forest practitioners. As such, candidates should have earned a BS in a topic area(s) of interest (e.g., forestry, ecology, geography, environmental sciences, etc.); highly qualified candidates with degrees in other fields will be considered. Preferred qualifications include qualitative and quantitative skills, as well as field experience. Review of applications will start immediately and continue until the positions are filled.
PSU’s GEC Lab: The position will be hosted in the School of the Earth, Environment, and Society (SEES), as an MS in Geography under the supervision of Professor Andrés Holz in the director of PSU’s Global Environmental Change (GEC) Lab, which focuses on user-inspired, translatable research on forest disturbance ecology.
The research project could include topics such as flammability-reburns feedbacks, postfire vegetation transitions, postfire delayed tree mortality over space and time, pyrodiversity-biodiversity dynamics, and treering wildfire reconstructions.
Start date: Fall 2026 with the 2nd RECHARGE project cohort.
Compensation: Financial support includes a stipend of $34K per year (9 months during the AY plus 3 summer months), renewable for another 12 months, subject to satisfactory progress in the program and tuition remissions. Due to funding (in-state tuition fee) restrictions, priority will be given to students with Oregon residency.
Application process: To apply, please email the following to Dr. Andrés Holz (andres.holz@pdx.edu): a) a CV or resume, b) a cover letter describing your experience and interests (including project(s) you would be interested in), c) unofficial transcripts, d) GRE scores if you have them (not mandatory), and e) a list of three professional references and their contact information.
PSU is Oregon’s urban research university. Located in the heart of Downtown Portland, within easy reach of the Willamette Valley, Oregon Coast, Cascade Mountains, and high deserts. PSU is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.
