The Department of Applied Environmental Science at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in Environmental Science at the assistant professor rank to begin in Fall 2022. We are seeking candidates with a demonstrated commitment to teaching and research in Earth surface processes, such as fluvial geomorphology, stream hydrology, and/or wildfire-mediated hillslope dynamics. We seek a colleague who will provide leadership in the watershed systems concentration of our Environmental Science, Technology, and Policy B.S. and our Environmental Science M.S. degree programs by engaging in externally-funded, regional research projects that both enrich the student experience and feed a sustained record of publication. The ideal candidate would capitalize on the outstanding research opportunities near CSUMB by responding to the research needs of our community and building upon existing regional partnerships with resource agencies, non- profits, and consulting firms. They would also apply their research to socially relevant environmental watershed issues such as endangered/threatened species and/or water quality and water supply.
Position details and application instructions can be found at: https://apptrkr.com/2718749
Application review will begin February 11, 2022, and continue until the position is filled.
Month: January 2022
US dams are filling with sediment much faster than most people realize. The result is that reservoir storage capacity is being depleted, threatening long-term sustainability of irrigated agriculture and municipal water supplies. There are techniques that can be used to extend the life of reservoirs, but these are rarely implemented. In a paper just published in Journal of Hydrology, Tim Randle and colleagues explain that we need a new paradigm to guide our management of these important components of our national infrastructure. You can access the paper here.
In process-based restoration, the objective is not to create a complex river form directly; instead, interventions are intended to “prompt” the natural processes to restore such forms. The improvements in ecological conditions are actually made over time by flowing water during floods (using the stream’s energy), and by the growth of riparian vegetation (using incoming solar energy). On the Aire River in Geneva, ecological function was restored to a formerly canalized river by providing the river with an espace de liberté. A grid of channels cut into the valley bottom allowed the river to freely flood, erode its bed and banks, and deposit bars, creating complex surfaces on which riparian vegetation established to support the food web of the riverine ecosystem. The diamond-shaped bits of land left between these channels (“lozenges”) gradually erode and evolve as the river migrates, creating complex channel forms. The Isar River in Munich restoration involved adding coarse sediment load, creating erodible bed and banks in place of formerly rigid boundaries, expanding process space for river migration, erosion, and deposition, and increased human access to the river over 8 km. Since restoration, natural transport of sediment has resulted in deposition of gravel bars, whose forms evolve during floods, supporting diverse habitats. The Isar and Aire Rivers provide compelling examples of process-based restoration meeting 4 criteria for process-based restoration: space, energy, materials, and time. They demonstrate the possibilities of urban river restoration to achieve both ecological and social goals through restoration of fluvial process. The paper is available under open access here.
The Network for Engineering with Nature (NEWN) is a multi-institutional research entity for studying the role of natural, built, and social systems as part of an infrastructure portfolio. The network has a major research focus area on the interplay between infrastructure and biodiversity objectives. We are hiring a postdoctoral scholar to generally examine how engineering and design practices can more seamlessly incorporate biodiversity as both a design outcome and a benefit to engineering performance. Specifically, this position will focus on long-term asset management of dams and other freshwater infrastructure (e.g., decisions about removal, repair, divestment, etc.). Additionally, the position will collaborate closely with other NEWN investigators on a variety of other cutting-edge topics related to natural infrastructure and nature-based solutions. Click here for more info.
Please also note that N-EWN has other postdoctoral positions currently available on other topics as well. Please refer to here for more info.