Postdoctoral Investigator – Indigenous knowledge Systems

Job Summary

Job Description

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is seeking a post-doctoral researcher specializing in the application, integration and/or incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge Systems to coastal and marine science, governance, and research paradigms. Potential research areas are broad. Some example areas, connected to ongoing research at the Institution, are listed below, but we are open to considering other avenues of investigation that meet the broad criteria of incorporating Indigenous Knowledge Systems into the study.

• Coastal landform evolution and management, particularly in response to sea level rise. Understanding the connections between coastal landforms and ecosystems.

• Long-term ecosystem evolution and impacts on coastal peoples and resources. Driving factors might include climate change, harmful algal blooms (HABS), invasive species, and human activities. Impacts may include access to clean drinking water, loss of access to historically important natural resources and/or territories/seas, adaptation and diversification.

• Commercial fisheries management and impacts of warming oceans on commercial fisheries futures.

• Potential for, and methods, of aquaculture, including shellfish and kelp.

• Arctic Environment: rivers, ocean circulation, permafrost and sea-ice changes.

• Approaches to and impacts of climate change mitigation. Community response and adaptation of traditional practices. The role of saltmarsh and eelgrass beds in storing carbon.

In all the themes above, we welcome the cultural and social impacts on, and response of, communities to external forcing factors as the main line of inquiry.  We encourage applicants to reach out to faculty working broadly in their area of research to help develop their research plans, although independent ideas for research projects proposed by the candidate are entirely welcome. This is particularly so under circumstances where community needs have already been identified, and relationships and partnerships are already in place.

The successful candidate will be appointed for a 2-year position in one of our 5 Science Departments or our Marine Policy Center. Opportunities for interdisciplinary research exist and are encouraged through collaborations with researchers across the Institution, as well as in the broader Woods Hole scientific community, particularly with the USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center.  Opportunities also exist to work with scientists, educators and staff at Woods Hole Sea Grant located on the WHOI campus.

WHOI’s mission can be achieved, and its core values fully realized, only by the all-inclusive participation of a diversity of voices, not only as a means of enriching our scientific frameworks and understanding new facets of our work, but as a moral imperative. We believe that all members of society should have equal access to shaping our ocean and climate futures. In 2021, WHOI established the Office of DEI under the leadership of Dr. Natalie Nevarez (CDEIO) with the aim of cultivating an inclusive environment for all members of our community. WHOI has appointed a Tribal Liaison who is a member of the local Mashpee Wampanoag community, as well as a consultant with expertise in native cultural practices who will support faculty involved in this project on cultural respect, tribal engagement, and knowledge sharing practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. 

WHOI is located on Cape Cod in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, a world-renowned center for marine, biomedical, and environmental science, with proximity to the research hubs of Boston, MA and Providence, RI. Its mission is to advance our understanding of the ocean and its interaction with the Earth system, and to communicate this understanding for the benefit of society. WHOI is the largest private, non-profit oceanographic institution in the world, with staff, postdocs, and graduate students numbering approximately 1,000. An additional 500 affiliates are associated with the scientific endeavors of the Institution, many of whom are from the international community.

Application Materials:

• CV: A current CV or resume that includes educational background, scientific products (publications, data products, scientific talks, public outreach materials, etc),