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Open Positions

Join Our Team

Thanks for your interest in the Natural Capital Project! Our current job openings can be found here on this page. We occasionally hire interns and other short-term or part-time positions in all areas of our work—if you are interested in those positions, please fill out this form. We review submissions based on emerging needs, and at least quarterly (January, March, June, and September). If an opportunity comes up that might fit your qualifications, someone from our team will reach out to you.

Whatever your intersection of identities, you are welcome at the Natural Capital Project. We are committed to inclusivity and promoting an equitable environment that values and respects the uniqueness of all members of our organization. We therefore encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.

Job Openings

Undergraduate Research Assistant
Postdoctoral scholar for nature therapies and health outcomes project
Postdoctoral scholar in land use change and vector-borne disease
Training and Curriculum Lead
Project Manager

Undergraduate Research Assistant

The Natural Capital Project (NatCap) at Stanford seeks 1-2 undergraduate research assistants for a project to understand how nature exposure (e.g, residential greenspace, park visits) in cities can improve both mental and physical health outcomes. Our unique interdisciplinary team integrates a wealth of new data, science, and analytics (e.g., smartphone mobility big data, wearables, and meta-analysis) to advance the new scientific frontier. The research assistant will mainly contribute to screening a list of identified literature, extracting key reported data on nature-health connections, and helping synthesize information, as well as other related tasks as needed. They will work under the supervision of NatCap Postdoctoral Scholar Dr. Yingjie Li and other project team members (e.g., Dr. Gretchen Daily, Dr. Anne Guerry, and Dr. Lisa Mandle). Very good reading skills in English and a rigorous spirit are required. Prior experience working in a research setting, related knowledge background, and meta-analysis/ systematic review experience are preferred but not required. All necessary training will be provided.

This position is ONLY open to currently enrolled undergraduate students at Stanford. The research assistant will be expected to devote 10-15 hours per week to the project, but work hours/location are flexible. This is a paid position at an hourly rate dependent on quarters of experience. The position is open now, and we are hopeful for a start date ASAP.

How to apply
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis starting on February 20, 2023. For full consideration, please apply by 11:00 PM PST, February 28, 2023.

To apply, please email yingjieli@stanford.edu with the subject line “NatCap Undergraduate Research Assistant” and attach a statement of interest (one short paragraph, < 250 words), and CV/resume.

 

Postdoctoral scholar for nature therapies and health outcomes project

The Natural Capital Project at Stanford, together with collaborators at the Stanford Medical School, is seeking a creative, collaborative postdoctoral scholar to help lead a randomized controlled trial to study the effectiveness of park prescriptions in a clinical setting. Our “Nature Prescriptions to Improve Health” project is designed to explore the effectiveness of park prescriptions that can equip physicians with nonpharmacologic methods that could increase the health and wellbeing of individuals. The postdoc will analyze data from wearables (e.g., heart rate variability, step counts), from electronic medical records and from surveys to explore changes in time outdoors and changes in health and wellbeing. The postdoc will join a vibrant collaborative team working to advance the science connecting nature exposure to health and to develop generalizable models for informing urban planning and other decisions affecting people and nature in urban environments.

The Natural Capital Project (NatCap), a partnership centered at Stanford, is an interdisciplinary team of academics, software engineers, and real-world professionals working to integrate the value nature provides to society into all major decisions. Our ultimate objective is to improve the well-being of all people and nature by motivating greater and more targeted natural capital investments.

This position is for one year–with the possibility of extension based on performance and funding availability. We are hopeful for a start-date ASAP. The postdoctoral scholar will be based in the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, part of the Doerr Sustainability School and co-advised by Dr. Gretchen Daily and Dr. Anne Guerry and by Dr. Chethan Sarabu at the School of Medicine with additional advisory support from Dr. Ann Hsing and Dr. Abby King (also at the School of Medicine). The expected base pay for this position is the Stanford University required minimum for all postdoctoral scholars appointed through the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. The FY23 minimum is $68,238

    Required qualifications
  • Ph.D. in a relevant field (e.g., environmental health, statistics, data science, psychology, public health, behavioral medicine, epidemiology, exercise science, kinesiology)
  • Strong quantitative analysis skills (e.g., experience working with electronic medical records, personal health information, etc.)
  • Ability to work independently and collaboratively
  • Very good written and oral communication skills in English
    Preferred qualifications (Note: Having one or more of the following qualifications is an asset, but we do not expect a single candidate to have all of the qualifications listed here)
  • Experience with research or project management
  • Experience with randomized controlled trials
  • Experience with analysis of geospatial data (e.g., GPS data, satellite imagery)
  • Experience with collection and analysis of data from wearables
  • Experience collaborating on, documenting, sharing and managing code with version control (e.g., git, Github)
  • Experience working in interdisciplinary team settings
  • Conversant with the latest science linking nature access and human health and wellbeing

How to apply
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis starting at the end of February.

To apply, please email mjwilder@stanford.edu with the subject line “NATURE PRESCRIPTION POSTDOC” and attach a cover letter, CV, and contact information for three references. In the cover letter, please describe your interest in and qualifications for the position.

Please also indicate in your cover letter if you would require sponsorship for a visa to work in the United States, as well as any details that would affect the type of visa. Visas must be processed through the consulate in your home country.

 

Postdoctoral scholar in land use change and vector-borne disease

The Natural Capital Project at Stanford University is recruiting a postdoctoral scholar to work on an NSF Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease (EEID)-funded project (DEB-2011147) investigating the effects of land use change on vector-borne disease. The overall objective of the project is to understand the successional dynamics of vector-borne diseases with changing land use, as well as to generalize beyond system-specific, descriptive case studies to mechanistic understanding and prediction of the consequences of land use decisions for infectious disease.

The postdoc will integrate field data from Madre de Dios, Peru on vector distributions, pathogen presence, disease incidence and human behavior with remote sensing data to answer questions about the ecological and socio-economic drivers of patterns of disease. They will also contribute to the Natural Capital Project’s efforts to develop generalizable models linking land use/land cover to human disease risk. The postdoc will have the opportunity to collaborate and interact with other project PIs based at Stanford University (Dr. Erin Mordecai – Dept. of Biology, and Dr. Eric Lambin – Earth System Science), at UC Santa Barbara’s Bren School of Environmental Science (Dr. Andrew MacDonald), and at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru (Dr. Willy Lescano).

This position is one of two open postdoc positions associated with this NSF EEID project. The other position is based with the MacDonald disease ecology lab at UC Santa Barbara. Information about the UC Santa Barbara position is available here. A single application can be submitted to apply to both the Stanford and UC Santa Barbara positions. See below for more details on how to apply.

The position based at Stanford University is for one year, with the possibility of extension based on performance and funding availability. The position will be advised by Dr. Gretchen Daily and Dr. Lisa Mandle and based with the Biology Department at Stanford University. The expected base pay for this position is the Stanford University required minimum for all postdoctoral scholars appointed through the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. The FY23 minimum is $68,238.

    Required qualifications
  • Ph.D. in ecology, environmental science or a related field
  • Strong quantitative and geospatial analysis skills
  • Ability to work independently and collaborate effectively with project team members
  • Very good written and oral communication skills in English
    Preferred qualifications (Note: Having one or more of the following qualifications is an asset, but we do not expect a single candidate to have all the qualifications listed here)
  • Very good written and oral communication skills in Spanish
  • Experience with development of spatial models
  • Experience working in interdisciplinary team settings
  • Prior experience with field research in the Peruvian Amazon or neighboring regions
  • Strong publication record
    Required application materials
  • Cover letter summarizing your relevant experience and qualifications and your interest in the position
  • CV
  • Names and contact information for 3 references

To apply please send one email to both lmandle@stanford.edu and macdonald@bren.ucsb.edu with the subject line “NSF EEID POSTDOC” and attach a cover letter, CV, and contact information for three references. The cover letter should summarize your relevant experience and qualifications and your interest in the position(s), as well as indicate which of the positions (UC Santa Barbara, Stanford, or both) you are applying for. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis starting Feb. 15 and until the positions are filled.

 

Training and Curriculum Lead

The Natural Capital Project is seeking a Training and Curriculum lead, to collaborate with team members across the NatCap network to develop and refine training program engagement practices and projects. The Training and Curriculum Lead will have a solid understanding of NatCap’s overall capacity building strategy, our goals and objectives for specific training events, and will ensure that NatCap trainings, workshops, and courses are professional and accomplishing desired objectives. The successful candidate will have a willingness to travel internationally when necessary.

    Responsibilities include:
  • Collaborate with internal and external subject matter experts to develop and deliver curricula that builds capacity of NatCap’s partners, policymakers, government technical staff, project leads in development institutions, academics, and other stakeholders, building on and expanding NatCap’s existing library of training materials compiled from customized workshops, online resources and events.
  • Proactively consult with subject matter experts to identify and formulate learning objectives and content.
  • Teach and/or assist in the teaching and evaluation of training workshops.
  • Add to, organize, and maintain NatCap’s library of broadly applicable course materials. Build out the library of reusable materials, identifying and strategically filling gaps with new materials as they are developed for specific client demands.
  • Interact with vendor during design, development and implementation process as needed.
  • Design and implement evaluation systems that allow for tracking reach, effectiveness, and success of training programs.

    Qualifications:
  • Bachelor’s degree and three years of relevant experience or combination of education and relevant experience. Advanced degree in environmental sciences, science education, economics, development studies, or related disciplines and five years of experience preferred.
  • Demonstrated experience with capacity building and capacity needs assessments in developing countries, and in developing and delivering training in relevant topics (e.g., environment, development, ecosystem services, and/or climate change) to a variety of audiences.
  • Demonstrated proficiency using instructional design tools such as learning project plans, design documents, learning hierarchies, storyboards, prototypes, etc.
  • Ability to clearly and succinctly convey learning content in a manner that engages learners and improves retention rates.
  • Demonstrated proficiency and experience in industry standard tools such as authoring tools, digital, graphics media, audio, animation and video production tools to create impactful courses.
  • Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a team on multiple concurrent projects.
  • Knowledge of and exposure to major global players, initiatives, and partnerships in the realm of biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation, natural capital accounting, and nature-based solutions.
  • Strong analytical skills, with experience using GIS software and spatial analysis in support of conservation, natural resources management, ecosystem services assessment, and/or landscape restoration planning.
  • Excellent communication skills in written and spoken English. Professional competency in another language (particularly Spanish or Mandarin) is also desired.

This is a condensed job advertisement; to learn more and apply visit the Stanford Careers website.

 

Project Manager

NatCap is seeking a full-time Project Manager to work directly with NatCap project teams and collaborators from countries and multi-lateral development banks on an exciting new project to mainstream natural capital approaches in policy and finance decisions. The project spans over 15 countries in the Americas, Asia and Africa, representing diverse opportunities and urgent needs for mutual learning, technical assistance, and capacity building to support policy and investment leaders committed to harnessing the power of ecosystems to improve human wellbeing. The Project Manager will support the day-to-day operational aspects of each country team’s workplans, including coordination of tasks and communications among team members and across teams. This is a one-year fixed term position. If you are highly motivated, up for a challenge and know how to get things done, this position may be the right career opportunity for you!

Position will be filled as soon as possible. Apply for the position here.