Job Search

Professor Chris Anderson’s Lab at the University of Washington, seeks to hire a Postdoctoral Scholar in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. The position is supported by gift funding to support the enhanced use of economic, social, and ecological data to support the implementation of effective fishery management.  This is a full-time, 24-month position (with possibility of extension based on funding) located at the University of Washington. The candidate hired into this position will have the opportunity to contribute to an international research dialogue about how fishery management balances economic, social, and ecological goals in both developed and low-income country contexts.

Dr. Anderson’s Lab is dedicated to research that focuses on understanding how the incentives presented by different forms of fishery management affect fleetwide economic and social outcomes, and especially how fisheries support economic development.

We seek a postdoctoral scholar to take leadership in research, data collection, analysis, writing, and publication using a variety of databases on global fisheries management housed at UW.  Possible research includes describing the status of fisheries in supporting economic and community success, and describing how success varies with different types of fishery management and other enabling conditions.

The project: Key data will be the Fishery Performance Indicators (FPIs), which capture the ecological, economic and community performance of fisheries, and have been scored for nearly 200 fisheries worldwide.  The candidate will:

• Engage in data exploration and visualization to develop hypotheses that can be tested with existing and additional case studies and variables.
• Use a combination of travel and desk scoring to fill gaps in the database central to identified hypotheses.
• Lead and collaborate on analysis and manuscript development using global data.
• Lead workshops that gather knowledgeable fishery participants, scientists, and managers to collaboratively assess fisheries performance and identify locally important improvement strategies in support of NGO and aid agency objectives.
• Build network capacity by training regional experts to conduct collaborative workshops.
• This project requires domestic and international travel.

The salary for this position will be in the range of $78,000 to $85,000 per year, or as mandated by a U.S. Department of Labor prevailing wage determination.

Postdoctoral scholars are represented by UAW 4121 and are subject to the collective bargaining agreement, unless agreed exclusion criteria apply. For more information, please visit the University of Washington Labor Relations website.

The ideal candidate will:

• have a PhD or foreign equivalent in economics, socio-ecological systems, or a related field at the time of appointment
• have a minimum of one year experience with natural resource economics or social-ecological modeling
• have no more than three years of total postdoctoral experience
• have strong presentation skills and be able to lead interactive training sessions
• adopt a rigorous and scholarly approach to their science, with evidence of this from presentations and publications
• demonstrate informed curiosity, with the ability to generate novel scientific questions
• be intrinsically motivated to answer the project’s overarching research questions
• be a reliable team member who collaborators can count on to come through on their promises
• be a respectful, professional, and generous team player who goes the extra mile to help their colleagues and maintains strong collegial bonds
• have excellent time management skills; accomplish research goals by creating realistic but ambitious plans and initiating open communication when plans need to be adjusted
• have the willingness and the courage to discuss issues openly (i.e., to give and receive feedback, to celebrate successes, and to discuss ways to overcome challenges)
• Desirable: Strong statistical programming skills, background in collecting non-quantitative data through interviews and from experts, experience with bioeconomic and population dynamics models.
• Desirable: Experience with low information stock assessment models and fluency in French, Spanish or other language important to global fishing.

The position will start as soon as possible, but no later than Sept 15, 2023. An earlier start date may be required for candidates who will need more time for training. The initial appointment will be 100% FTE for two years, with potential renewal based on funding.

Application Instructions

All applications should be submitted through Interfolio. To apply for this position, please include the following in your application:

• a letter of intent explaining why you are a good candidate for this position
• a CV
• pdfs of any written materials that demonstrate your previous research experience and your rigorous and scholarly approach to science
• contact information for three references.

For any queries about this position, please reach out to Professor Chris Anderson at cmand@uw.edu.