Postdoctoral Position in Plant Ecophysiology and Global

Position overview Position title: Postodoctoral Position in Plant Ecophysiology and Global Change

Salary range: $69,073 - $82,836

Percent time: 100%

Anticipated start: Spring 2026 or later

Position duration: 2 years

Open date: January 21, 2026

Next review date: Wednesday, Feb 11, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Sunday, Mar 15, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral scholar to engage in research on tree local adaptation and ecophysiological response to global change (fire, drought, elevated temperature, CO2). The postdoctoral scholar will lead work on Moore Foundation-funded research on conifer ecology and physiology in the Anderegg and Trugman Labs at UC Santa Barbara, using common garden experiments and growth chamber/greenhouse experiments.

The appointee will be responsible for the design, field sample collection, laboratory phenotyping and analysis of multiple conifer species growing across an array of common gardens in the California Sierra Nevada that are part of the Adaptive Management Experiment (https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).). Relevant phenotypes could include plant architecture, morphology, hydraulics, thermotolerance, mycorrhizal association and fire resistance/flammability. Common garden sampling will be complemented by growth chamber experiments to further explore the mechanisms of tree resilience to climate stress and interactions or feedbacks between environmental stressors/forcings (thermal and hydraulic stress, elevated CO2).

The broad goals of this work are to understand the extent of among-population genetic differentiation in resistance to multiple stressors, the potential plasticity of multi-stress resistance (and among-population differences in plasticity), the synergistic or antagonistic interactions of multiple types of stress and stress resistance strategies (e.g. drought and heat resistance), and the impacts of novel environments (hot, dry high severity burn scars, elevated CO2, altered snow hydrology) on conifer seedling/sapling resilience.

The results of this research will be used to develop management tools for climate-resilient forest management, in collaboration with partners such as Dr. Sarah Bisbing (U Nevada Reno), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CALFIRE), and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

The appointee may work on one or multiple additional ongoing lab projects, depending upon interests and past experience; opportunities also exist to collaborate with mathematical modelers, remote sensing projects, and restoration studies across California ecosystems. This position will require field travel for up to 6 weeks per year.

The postdoctoral scholar(s) will also be encouraged to develop independent but related lines of inquiry and to take advantage of professional development opportunities available at UC Santa Barbara and through collaborations, meeting attendance, management workshop participation, etc.

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

Applicants must hold a PhD or must have completed all requirements for a PhD program (or equivalent) except the dissertation.

Additional qualifications (required at time of start)

-Applicant must hold a PhD in Biology, Ecology, Environmental Science, Geography or related discipline by time of appointment.
-Hold a valid US drivers license

Preferred qualifications

-Prior research experience in one or more of the following areas: plant ecophysiology, quantitative genetics, greenhouse/growth chamber or field manipulative experiments, mechanistic plant/ecosystem modeling, functional ecology, ecosystem ecology
-Extensive field research experience, particularly leading or managing field crews
-Teaching/mentoring experience, particularly of undergraduate scholars
-Strong writing and oral communication skills/experience
-Experience in experimental design and data analysis, and evidence…