The School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at Clemson University is seeking a talented individual for a full-time, 12-month Postdoctoral associate position starting from August 15, 2023. The target hire will be a recent PhD in mathematics, computational science, data science, or other related fields. The position is aimed at interdisciplinary research in field-collected forestry population data and spatial stochastic mathematical modeling.

The purpose of this project is to provide research support to the SC ALB eradication program. This new infestation occurs in both urban and rural developed and palustrine wetlands and is the furthest south of any of the previous or current infestation in the U.S. This raises several questions around if it is possible to use current and past data to optimize ALB detection capacity in the field. A great deal of data are available pertaining to tree infestation status and characteristics from within this other infestations in the U.S., and these data may be used to help optimize monitoring in SC specifically, and within other infestations generally.

The associate will assist researchers in investigating how we can use previously collected data on trees infested by ALB and associated landscape factors to optimize future survey efforts. Specific goals and objectives in 2023 include:

 1.      Support APHIS S&T scientists by collecting and organizing landscape and tree data associated with current and previous ALB infestations.

2.      Assist S&T scientists in investigating potential relationships between ALB host choice, landscape factors, and characteristics of infested trees.

 Some possible models to explore the primary goal are based on dynamical systems.  metapopulation models, stochastic spatial models, and patch models. Metapopulation models analyze data collected from spatially distributed populations, where dispersed events that affect the local populations occur over time. Results from these models can show local extinction/destruction probabilities, and rates of occurring events, leading to predictions about the state of the system in the future. Stochastic spatial models analyze data from complex systems where local stochastic effects may affect global stochastic effects. These models play a role in understanding landscapes that can be expressed as a network, where the dynamics of a local neighborhood affects how the local neighborhood interacts with other neighborhoods. These models lead to predicting the long run behavior of interacting communities given a large number of parameters. Patch models describe discrete spatial heterogeneity in systems of ordinary differential equations where individuals travel between patches at a given rate. These models typically used for infectious disease modeling on a global scale can be applied to our primary goal, ALB infestations on trees across many states. These models can be used to predict long term behavior and steady states of the system.

The School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences is dedicated to Clemson’s overall mission of discovery, learning and engagement. The School’s faculty includes tenure/tenure track faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and lecturer-track faculty and fosters professional growth for all faculty. The School offers the full range of Baccalaureate, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees.
The School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences is organized into three Divisions:

·        Mathematics: includes faculty in Algebra and Discrete Mathematics, Computational Mathematics, and Pure and Applied Analysis.

·        Statistics and Operations Research: includes faculty in Applied Statistics and Data Science, Operations Research, and Probability and Mathematical Statistics.

·        Mathematics and Statistics Education: includes faculty in Mathematics Education and Statistics Education. Lecturers (of all ranks) belong to the Mathematics and Statistics Education division.  

For more information about the School and its programs, please visit the website  http://www.math.clemson.edu . For more information about Clemson, please visit the website http://www.clemson.edu/ .

Application reviews will begin on July 17, 2023 and continue until the position is filled.

 Applicants should submit the following items via Interfolio at https://apply.interfolio.com/127825

 (1)    Curriculum Vitae;

(2)    Letter of application

(3)    Teaching statement

(4)    An unofficial transcript

(5)    Three letters of recommendation.

Clemson University is an AA/EEO employer and does not discriminate against any person or group on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, pregnancy, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status or genetic information. Clemson University is building a culturally diverse faculty and staff committed to working in a multicultural environment and encourages applications from minorities and women.