Postdoctoral Fellowship, Viticulture & Enology

Winegrape growing is a multi-billion dollar industry in California and is central to culture, tradition, and economies around the world. Grapevine cultivars are adapted to specific growing climates and future climate change will expose vineyards to environmental conditions that will challenge cultivation. Specifically, greater frequency, intensity, and duration of stress-inducing heat events are anticipated under climate change and these events will in turn challenge winegrape cultivation. Winegrape growers primarily respond to extreme heat exposure through irrigation, though little information exists on current irrigation practices. Moreover, grapevine response to heat exposure likely varies by cultivar, yet there is limited understanding of cultivar-specific heat tolerances, physiological response to heat exposure, or mitigative irrigation water needs. Working with industry and agency partners, we will identify current irrigation responses to heat events, model irrigation needs under future climate scenarios, and establish long-term field experiments to quantify cultivar-specific tolerances and phenological and physiological responses to heat extremes. Project outcomes will be used to inform cultivar-specific irrigation recommendations for California’s winegrape growers with the aim of increasing water use efficiency and preparing California’s wine industry for the future.

           The Forrestel & McElrone labs in the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology has an opening for a Postdoctoral Fellow working at the nexus of climate change, field sensing, physiology and water-balance modeling. The postdoc will be expected to analyze data from sources including but not limited to remote sensing, weather stations, downscaled global climate models, field observations from on-going experiments, and grower-provided on-farm management logs. They will also be expected to lead the setup of data loggers and sensing equipment in the field, as well as conduct physiological measurements (i.e., gas exchange, water potentials) to complement existing data sources.. Data analysis will be conducted to quantify current water use patterns, irrigation management strategies in response to heat events, and grapevine physiological response to heat exposure and irrigation treatments. The preferred start date for this appointment is January 2020, but there is some flexibility in start date for the right applicant. The initial term of employment is one year, with the potential for renewal contingent upon performance and funding. 

           The annual range of salary for this position ranges from $50,760 to $61,3906 depending on experience. The initial appointment is at 100% for one year, with the possibility of extension based on satisfactory performance and availability of funds. The salary is commensurate with experience and is governed in part by contracts between the University of California and the postdoctoral union. The position will receive full benefits as outlined by the UC postdoctoral contract, including 24 days of paid time off (PTO) and 12 days of sick leave per year. More information on UC Davis Postdoctoral Fellow benefits can be found here: https://hr.ucdavis.edu/employees/benefits/post-doc-scholars

●    PhD in environmental science, ecology, viticulture, agricultural science, geography, soil science, crop or plant sciences, biometeorology, water resources science, hydrology, applied mathematics or statistics, computational science, or a related field.

●    Strong quantitative skills, including demonstrated experience in statistical modeling and coding in R and/or python for applied ecological, agricultural and/or climate science applications, with the ability to integrate models and methods to address systems-level problems.

●    Preferred experience with Bayesian modeling (e.g., Stan).

●    Experience setting up dataloggers and sensors to monitor microclimatic data and plant performance/responses (e.g., thermocouples, IRTs, soil moisture probes).

●    Familiarity with interpreting and analyzing plant physiological measurements such as gas exchange, water potentials and fluorescence data.

●    Research experience in applied science, including modeling and statistical analysis of agricultural, climatic, ecological, hydrologic, or similar systems (as demonstrated by a record of scientific publication).

●    Superior written and oral communication skills and the ability to think critically, independently, and at a systems level.

●    Strong interpersonal skills and a desire to work collaboratively with growers and industry partners to co-produce actionable science.

●    Interest in stakeholder engagement for the co-production of science strongly preferred.

●    A cover letter outlining your interest, expertise, and technical skills relevant to this position.

●    A curriculum vitae.

●    Copies of transcripts (unofficial acceptable with application).

●    Two copies of publications – including one first author peer reviewed paper – exemplary of your writing and your knowledge, skills, and abilities relevant to this position.

●    Contact information for three references, including name, current position, email, phone number, and relationship to you.

Please send your complete application package as a single PDF to ejforrestel@ucdvais.edu with Heat and Grapes Irrigation Postdoc in the subject line. Please submit your application by December 16, 2019 at midnight to receive full consideration.