This is a 2-year position for a PhD-level recent grad... see below!

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Food and Biomass Science Fellow
September 23, 2009
San Francisco

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is now accepting
applications for a two-year, full-time Food and Biomass Science
Fellow.  The Fellow will work with a diverse team of NRDC advocates
and scientists to help develop metrics of environmental performance
that can be used in efforts to promote sustainable production systems
for food and biofuels feedstocks.

Applications are requested no later than October 23, 2009.

About NRDC

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a non-profit national
environmental advocacy organization with more than 1.2 million members
and online activists.  We have offices in New York, Washington, D.C.,
Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Beijing.  Our staff of over
300 includes attorneys, scientists, policy analysts and educators
working to protect the environment and public health through advocacy
and education.

Position Description

Both the emergence of biofuels as a significant transportation fuel
and a growing interest in sustainable agriculture create exciting
opportunities to promote sustainable food and biomass production. The
Food and Biomass Science Fellow will join a cross-program effort at
NRDC to advocate for sustainable policies, metrics, and practices
across an array of policy and standard setting processes, seeking to
protect our climate, land and water resources. The Fellow will
collaborate with experts from NRDC’s Energy & Climate, Health, Land
and Water Programs.  Outside NRDC, the Fellow with work with key
stakeholders including those representing non-profit public interest
organizations, academic institutions, businesses, and will represent
NRDC in regulatory and legislative processes.  Key areas of
responsibility include:

Provide scientific and technical support to NRDC’s Energy & Climate,
Health, Land and Water Programs.

Work with NRDC staff, outside partners, and the academic community to
research, assemble, and synthesize data and information that
articulate the environmental metrics and ways to measure actual
performance of agriculture and biomass production.

Engage the larger scientific community and collaborate with other
science fellows in NRDC’s Science Center.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the personal and professional skills to
advance NRDC’s objectives, including:

A doctorate level degree in a related discipline such as soil science,
agroecology, agronomy, silviculture, water quality, environmental
chemistry, or agricultural economics.
Expertise at the interface of agricultural production and
environmental stewardship, ideally including water consumption and
water quality, soil conservation, nitrogen cycling, and soil carbon
sequestration;
Excellent written and oral communication skills, especially
communicating technical and analytical information in a clear and
persuasive manner;
Strong technical research, analytical and quantitative skills
particularly as it relates to the development of standards and
performance-based metrics;
Familiarity with related public policy and standards development
processes is desirable.
No more than five years of experience.

This position represents a challenging, entrepreneurial, and exciting
opportunity for the right person.  NRDC offers competitive salaries
(based on a nonprofit scale and commensurate with experience),
excellent benefits, and a dynamic work environment, and we are
committed to workplace diversity. Applicants should submit a cover
letter, resume and writing sample to: Leslie Edmond
(ledmond@nrdc.org).

NRDC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.