Post Master's Research Associate - Coastal Communities and Ecosystem Science

The Coastal Sciences Division, headquartered at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Sequim Marine Research Operations on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula, is the Department of Energy's only marine research laboratory. This unique facility and the capabilities of its researchers deliver science and technology that is critical to the nation's energy, environmental and security future.

Building upon a history of research related to marine and coastal resources, environmental chemistry, water resources modeling, ecotoxicology and biotechnology—and more recently, national and homeland security—the MSL is emerging as a leader in these three areas:

• Enabling sustainable development of ocean energy .
• Understanding and mitigating long-term impacts of human activities, including climate change, on marine resources.
• Protecting coastal environments from security threats.

PNNL seeks a creative, collaborative, and talented post-master’s research associate to conduct research on the effects of global change on coupled human-natural systems and to develop innovative solutions to support energy resilience and independence for coastal communities experiencing increases in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters.

A strong and reliable energy grid is essential for national security, economic growth, and the well-being of American communities. Federal policies that invest in resilient and secure energy infrastructure will help to meet the demands of a growing nation. As the nation modernizes its energy systems, it is critical to protect coastal communities from the
negative impacts of poorly planned infrastructure projects and understand opportunities for communities to influence their future energy systems. Energy policy has the potential to balance innovation with responsibility, ensuring that development strengthens local economies, community resilience, and environmental stability.

The selected candidate will have the opportunity to contribute to research in three main areas:

• Advancing social-ecological frameworks and conceptual models for energy development and implementation in
  coastal communities.
• Modeling ecosystem services to inform renewable energy generation and transmission development.
• Developing approaches and tools to understand and respond to the needs of rural and remote coastal and
  communities engaging in energy security and resilience.
• Quantify ecosystem services to understand the benefits and costs of energy infrastructure development for coastal communities.
• Assemble and synthesize a wide variety of spatial data that serves as input into models for mapping and quantifying ecosystem services.
• Generate methodologies, analysis, and spatial modeling approaches to address emerging challenges in energy resilience, social-ecological systems, and coastal development.
• Create compelling data visualizations to support decision-making, stakeholder engagement, and scientific communication.
• Review and synthesize literature, programs, case studies, and tools related to energy resilience, changing ocean environments, and coastal community development.
• Author and contribute to scientific peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, and grant proposals, translating complex findings into accessible insights for stakeholders.
• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary research team at PNNL, the University of Washington, national laboratories, industry partners, and research institutions to advance scientific understanding.
• Engage with stakeholders, policymakers, and community representatives to integrate local perspectives into energy planning and environmental assessments.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Candidates must have received a Master’s degree within the past 24 months or within the next 8 months from an accredited college or university.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a relevant field such as earth or environmental science, marine science, ecology, geography, environmental or marine policy, environmental economics, or a related discipline.
• Experience with spatial modeling of ecosystem services or “nature’s contributions to people,” especially in coastal and marine environments.
• Proficiency in programming or scripting using Python, R, QGIS, ArcGIS, or other spatial analysis tools.
• Strong skills in organizing, conducting, and communicating independent research.
• Ability to develop creative solutions to complex problems in coastal resilience, energy development, or social-ecological systems.
• Experience translating technical data into actionable insights for stakeholders such as policymakers, coastal communities, and industry partners.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and engage with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Familiarity with science-policy processes, especially those related to climate adaptation, sustainable development, conservation, or community-led energy planning.
• Understanding of coupled human-natural systems and their application to environmental and energy resilience research.
• Background in coastal and marine science and/or policy, with a focus on environmental change or infrastructure development.
• Knowledge of ocean or renewable energy technologies and their interactions with ecosystems and communities.
• Demonstrated interest and ability to publish research findings in peer-reviewed journals.