The Department of Geography & Environment is a research and academic unit within the College of Arts & Sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill. The Department has an active faculty with a wide array of specializations, including Earth & Environment, Geographic Information Systems & Geovisualization, Nature & Society, Culture, Space, & Society, Globalization & International Development, and Data Science. The Department supports dynamic undergraduate and graduate programs.

Rivers actively transport autochthonous and allochthonous carbon, emitting carbon dioxide and methane as products of anaerobic and anaerobic metabolism, and as direct transport from groundwater contributions. The project objectives are to parse drivers of greenhouse gas concentration and flux patterns in rivers across the United States in order to produce continuous estimates of gas flux. We consider differences in groundwater contributions, physical drivers (i.e. gas exchange), water chemistry parameters, and aerobic vs. anaerobic metabolism. There are two scales to the project: analyzing these patterns across NEON sites using published data, and complementing these point-measurements with an estimate of longitudinal heterogeneity in GHG patterns and drivers at our local site, New Hope Creek, where we are complementing measurements of GHG concentrations and flux (using floating chambers) with measurements of discharge, reaeration, and geomorphology. As this is an expansive project with a large collaborative team, there will be many opportunities to develop and/or lead complementary approaches and analyses, and the postdoc will be encouraged to divide work time between analysis of the NEON and New Hope Creek data, and any professional development or other unrelated projects that interest them and help them to progress their careers. The postdoc will also have the opportunity to mentor graduate and undergraduate students, to oversee field sampling teams, and to interact with collaborators at Duke, Colorado State University, and the Jones Center at Ichauway. The DelVecchia lab has an emphasis on maintaining healthy, respectful, and comfortable working environments, and the postdoc will be expected to contribute to this lab culture.

Must have a Ph.D. in Geography, Environmental Science, Biology, or similar science.

Specialization in hydrology, biogeochemistry, ecology, or a related field.

Experience with: * Analysis and interpretation of water isotope data * Estimation of groundwater exchange using dilution gauging and/or well water level data * Temporal and/or multivariate analysis of environmental variables * Manipulation of large datasets in R * Measurement of dissolved gas samples using headspace equilibration and GC methods * Measurement of gas exchange rates using argon injections and floating chambers

Start date is flexible.

For information on UNC Postdoctoral Benefits and Services

If you experience any problems accessing the system or have questions about the application process, please contact the University's Equal Employment Opportunity office at (919) 966-3576 or send an email to equalopportunity@unc.edu.

Please note: The Equal Employment Opportunity office will not be able to provide specific updates regarding position or application status.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran.