*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

USDA Forest Service Office/Lab and Location: A fellowship opportunity is available with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (FS) within the Forest Service Washington Office (WO) located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

At the heart of the USDA Forest Service's mission is their purpose. Everything they do is intended to help sustain forests and grasslands for present and future generations. Why? Because their stewardship work supports nature in sustaining life. This is the purpose that drives the agency’s mission and motivates their work across the agency. It’s been there from the agency’s very beginning, and it still drives them. To advance the mission and serve their purpose, the USDA Forest Service balances the short and long-term needs of people and nature by: working in collaboration with communities and our partners; providing access to resources and experiences that promote economic, ecological, and social vitality; connecting people to the land and one another; and delivering world-class science, technology and land management.

The International Institute of Tropical Forestry (the Institute), headquartered in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, is a research and technology transfer institute that is dedicated to advancing tropical forestry on insular, national, and international levels, and developing and exchanging knowledge critical to sustaining benefits of tropical forests and grasslands.

Research Project: The ORISE fellow will contribute to multi-disciplinary research led by IITF to understand hurricane effects on forests, agriculture, and rural communities in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands and the strategies and practices that these communities employ in their response to, recovery from, and resilience to disturbance. The research aims to advance knowledge on the effects and associated impacts of hurricanes and their compounding effects with other disturbances in rural working lands, the factors that enable or constrain their recovery and resilience, and effective mitigation and adaptation practices and strategies for forest, agriculture and rural communities across varied contexts and systems.  Under the guidance of the mentor and in collaboration with a multidisciplinary research team, the fellow will help to gather, review, and synthesize peer-reviewed and grey literature and datasets on hurricane effects across working lands; develop, implement, and analyze a survey of landowners and managers; gather, code and analyze qualitative data collected through interviews and participant observations; collect and analyze associated available geospatial data; and report on project findings in scientific articles and conferences and in management-relevant products and exchanges.

Learning Objectives: The fellow will have an opportunity to enhance and extend their research skills through the full cycle of research, including in the design of the project, gathering and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, and developing and presenting diverse types of science products.  The fellow also will have the opportunity to enhance their collaborative skills by participating as a member of a multidisciplinary team of research scientists and by engaging with landowners and managers, and natural resource specialists from federal and state agencies, universities, and non-profit organizations.  Opportunities to enhance communication and science delivery skills also will be available through participation in multi-scientist and multi-stakeholder meetings and workshops and in the development and delivery of scientific presentations for local, and national conferences.

Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Kathleen McGinley (kathleen.mcginley@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: April 2025.  Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for two years but may be extended upon recommendation of USDA Forest Service and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation: The appointment is full time.

Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The anticipated annual stipend is $72,000 (12-months). Other benefits may include allowance for health insurance and conference travel.

Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals. Non-U.S. citizen applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Non-U.S. Citizens Details page of the program website for information about the valid immigration statuses that are acceptable for program participation. Foreign national candidates may have a mandatory in-person requirement depending on visa status.

ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and USDA Forest Service. Participants do not become employees of USDA, USDA Forest Service, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.

Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email ORISE.USFS.WO@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should have received a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields.

Preferred skills:

• Demonstrated success with the full cycle of research, including publishing scientific articles in refereed journals
• Prior experience with multidisciplinary research concepts and methods relating to social-ecological systems, natural resource management, conservation or governance
• Proficiency with program(s) for qualitative (e.g., NVivo) and quantitative (e.g., R) data analysis
• Demonstrated ability to problem-solve and conduct research activities independently and as a team
• Excellent organizational, teamwork, and oral and written communication skills
• Fluent in English and Spanish