Decision support modeling of environmental flow releases and management options for Rio Grande Silvery Minnow

Overview:

The USGS New Mexico Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit invites applications for a postdoctoral researcher position to join a multi-agency partnership focused on recovery of the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow. Once abundant throughout the Rio Grande and Pecos rivers, minnow populations are now restricted to the Middle Rio Grande and threatened by a combination of water extraction, river regulation, and drought. Population dynamics are strongly linked to overall hydrology, and managers are interested in strategies to manage minnow populations in average or dry years when declines typically occur. Substantial uncertainty impedes decision making regarding where, when, and the amount of water to be released and the extent to which other management actions such as habitat restoration may compensate for particularly dry years.

This position will co-lead the development of a structured decision making (SDM) framework and a series of accompanying predictive modeling tools. For the SDM component, the postdoc will co-lead a series of annual workshops focused on problem framing, expert elicitation of model parameters, and model validation. We anticipate developing multiple simulation-based decision support tools such as: extending existing models to optimize environmental flows at broad scales in the face of hydrological uncertainty; local-scale spatially explicit models to identify potential sites for habitat creation or restoration to enhance recruitment; and portfolio analyses to select an optimal combination of management actions according to environmental conditions.

The postdoc will be supervised by Dr. Abby Lawson and Dr. Kasey Pregler of the USGS New Mexico Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit based at New Mexico State University in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Ecology, and Dr. Charles Yackulic (USGS Southwest Biological Science Center), while working closely with partners from the Bureau of Reclamation and U.S Fish and Wildlife Service. There may be opportunities to collaborate with researchers at other agencies and universities. More information on RGSM conservation efforts in the Middle Rio Grande can be found here.

Responsibilities:

1. Co-lead a series of standing calls and webinars with PIs and stakeholders to keep them apprised of study progress
2. Develop a series of predictive decision support models that may include optimal allocation of environmental flows under hydrologic forecast uncertainty, spatially-explicit model development to identify sites for habitat creation/restoration, and a portfolio analyses to identify optimal sets of actions under uncertainty
3. Co-lead stakeholder workshops that may focus on problem framing, eliciting model parameters, and beta-testing of decision support tools.
4. Lead the development of multiple manuscripts focused on development of a structure decision making framework, decision analytic tools (e.g., multi-criteria decision analysis, risk analysis, value of information), or predictive decision support modeling. 

Position structure: 

This announcement is funded for up to three years through a Bureau of Reclamation grant contingent on satisfactory progress. The successful candidate will be hired through New Mexico State University (Las Cruces, NM) and be based on the main campus, though remote options may be considered. The preferred start period is January 2025. 

The postdoctoral researcher will be provided an annual salary ranging between $60,000 – $67,000 depending on experience, plus benefits, a desktop computer (based at NMSU) with high processing speeds, and travel funds to attend the workshops and national conferences. This position is an excellent opportunity to engage with agency professionals and conduct cutting-edge quantitative research.