Postdoctoral Associate

Position Function:

The Geosystems Research Institute seeks to hire a Geospatial Statistician/Spatial Data Scientist to provide geospatial statistical support for a team of collaborating scientists. The focus of this research effort is geospatial issues that utilize high performance computing and address production agricultural (plants and/or animals). The candidate will initially be part of a team funded by a 5-year project from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Salary Grade: UC

Please see Staff Compensation Structure or Skilled Crafts and Service Maintenance Compensation Schedule for salary ranges. For salary grade UC, these positions are "Unclassified" and salary ranges are determined by the hiring department.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Support interdisciplinary teams to develop study questions that examine the geographic and temporal variations in plants and animals.
Identify statistical approaches to best examine research questions in collaboration with USDA Agricultural Research Services (ARS) scientists.
Act as a liaison between scientists and stakeholders to design statistical methodologies that reveal spatial and temporal relationships.
Develop methods and models for assessing relationships that increase the understanding of agriculture.
Perform advanced geospatial analysis including, but not limited to, cluster analysis, regression analysis, sampling design, local, and global measures of spatial association, geographically weighted regression, and interpolation approaches, such as kriging and inverse distance weighting (IDW).
Participate in oral and written communications, as needed, to interface with the participating scientists and stakeholders to obtain clarity in requirements.
Dissemination knowledge in archival literature and at conferences and meetings.Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

Ph.D. in Statistics, Applied Mathematics, or other relevant discipline
Excellent written and oral communication skills
Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment

Preferred Qualifications:

Strong background in spatial statistics
Proficiency in geospatial information systems (GIS), including use of software such as ArcGIS Pro or QGIS
Experience with Python coding

Instructions for Applying:

Apply online by submitting a cover letter, resume, and a copy of your transcript(s). Any social security numbers included on the requested transcripts should be redacted prior to submitting online.

Restricted Clause:

Position contingent upon continued funding availability.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

MSU is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy, gender identity, status as a U.S. veteran, and/or any other status protected by applicable law. We always welcome nominations and applications from women, members of any minority group, and others who share our passion for building a diverse community that reflects the diversity in our student population.