Job Description

502902 NMSU satellite location, New Mexico, United States Staff Post Doctoral Closing at: Nov 21 2025 - 23:55 MST

Position

Title:

Post Doctoral

Employee Classification:

Post Doctoral

College/Division:

Research, Creativity and ED

Department:

470500-WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Internal or External Search:

External - Open to all applicants

Location:

NMSU satellite location

Offsite Location (if applicable):

Snake River Plain, Idaho; Upper Snake River, Wyoming; Truckee-Carson River System, Nevada; Upper Rio Grande, New Mexico

Target Hourly/Salary Rate:

Commensurate with Experience

Appointment Full-time Equivalency:

1.0

Exempt or Non-Exempt

: Exempt

Summary:

Postdoctoral Researcher



New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute (NM WRRI) at New Mexico State University is seeking to hire four Anthropology Post Doctoral Researchers to participate in a multistate, transdisciplinary research project designed to support resilient agriculture, water, and community systems. This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Sustainable Agricultural Systems (SAS) program, a flagship competitive grant program to promote transformational changes in the U.S. food and agriculture system. This position is an exciting opportunity to gain experience doing team science, learning to collaborate across disciplinary silos through work with members of the multidisciplinary research team.

Classification Summary:

Assist, instruct and function as a role model for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in a relevant research program.

Classification Standard Duties:

Supervise, direct, delegate and evaluate work of assigned staff. Oversee and/or conduct research. Assist in technical support for the delegated project. Create new opportunities by preparing and submitting new project proposals to national funding agencies. Perform related duties as required.

Required Education, Experience, Certification/License, Equivalency

Required Education:Doctorate degree in related field.; Required Experience:No previous work experience required.; Equivalency:None; Required Certification/License:

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

KNOWLEDGE: Knowledge of university and department policies and procedures; principles and practices of organization and administration; principles of supervision, training, mentoring and performance evaluation; research techniques and designs; methodologies; data collection and analysis.;




SKILLS: Skills in short- and long-range planning; problem analysis and resolution; report preparation and presentation; public contact and relations; oral and written communication; literature reviews and compilation; material development for scientific and non-scientific audiences; grant writing and peer reviewed publications; modification of existing models or development of new models. The applicant may be responsible for, but not limited to, assisting in technical and outreach support in the department and organizing outreach events and conferences addressing activities associated with the research project.;




ABILITIES: Ability to direct, evaluate, train and supervise the work of assigned personnel; develop and maintain effective working relationships; maintain accurate and orderly records; use independent judgment and initiative; organize and direct activities; analyze and evaluate information; make presentations; work as a member of a team; write technical reports, conference presentation papers, peer-reviewed journal articles and grant proposals.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

One Anthropology Post Doctoral Researcher will be placed in each project field site: the Upper Rio Grande (Northern New Mexico), the Upper Snake River (Wyoming), the Snake River Plain (Idaho), and the Truckee-Carson River System (Nevada). Candidates should indicate in the cover letter which site(s) they would like to be considered for. In each field site, the Post Doctoral Researcher will work closely with the region's site lead and existing projects. Each researcher will carry out ethnographic fieldwork and ethnographic interviews in their field site. Each will produce individual research and disseminate findings, and work with the other team Anthropologists to carry out comparative analyses across the U.S. West. The overarching goal of the Anthropology component is to develop a deep understanding of each of the project's communities of focus in order to facilitate project goals of building sustainable water systems for culturally and environmentally resilient agricultural communities. This includes identifying barriers to adoption of climate-smart agricultural systems and identifying points of interest or enthusiasm in the communities towards particular crops, management systems, water saving technologies, or informational tools. Performs other related duties as assigned. The period of performance is two years.

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred candidates will have a Doctoral degree in Cultural Anthropology or a related field, and have experience with ethnographic research and qualitative data analysis. Knowledge of agriculture, rural communities, water, and/or sustainability issues would be helpful

Special Requirements of the Position

Must have valid driver's license. Must be able to travel to field sites using personal transportation or university vehicle. Must be willing to occasionally work outside of the standard Monday-Friday, 8am - 5pm timeframe when participating in community or project events.



Must attain CITI certification for human subjects research and IRB approval before beginning data collection.

Department Contact:

Angus Aney, 575-646-1813, sierra25@nmsu.edu

Contingent Upon Funding:

Contingent upon external funding

Bargaining Unit Eligibility:

This is NOT a bargaining unit position with American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

Standard Work Schedule:

Standard (M-F, 8-5)

If Not a Standard Work Schedule:

Working Conditions and Physical Effort

Environment:

Work involves moderate exposure to unusual elements, such as extreme temperatures, dirt, dust, fumes, smoke, unpleasant odors, and/or loud noises.

Physical Effort:

Light physical effort. Effort applies to no more than two (2) hours per day.

Lifting Requirements:

Requires handling of average-weight objects up to 10 pounds or some standing or walking.

Risk:

No or very limited exposure to physical risk.