In the western United States, major conservation efforts have been put forth in the last decade to improve sagebrush habitat for wildlife. These activities have increased the land's sustainability and productivity, which has benefited rural economies through improved livestock grazing and other land uses. Unfortunately, the application of these conservation programs has generally been constrained to more productive and often higher elevation sites within the sagebrush steppe. This is because, in the lower, drier elevation areas of the sagebrush steppe, direct seeding commonly has high failure rates, particularly for native species. Tools are needed to restore these degraded rangelands as ranching and wildlife in this region are under threat from large-scale wildfires, predominantly driven by invasive annual grasses. One prominent plant invader, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.), is estimated to now cover more than 52 million acres in the western United States, with an estimated 14% annual rate of spread. To stop the cheatgrass wildfire cycle innovative restoration techniques are needed to restore native vegetation to landscapes now dominated by invasive annual grasses. Our research group is developing seed coating technologies and other planting strategies that can improve restoration efforts in dryland systems by enhancing seed germination and increasing seedling tolerance to environmental stress. These technologies have the potential to provide a major breakthrough for rangeland restoration efforts and dramatically improve land manger’s ability to restore native plants back into degraded rangelands (https://youtu.be/UxAehMoO0aE ). 

 Position Description: The successful candidate for this position will aid in the development and evaluation of innovative seed coating technologies and other direct seeding methods to restore degraded rangelands that have been impacted by wildfires, weed invasion, and mining activities. As part of this research, the candidate will design and execute experiments while mentoring undergraduate and graduate students and working in close collaboration with land managers, scientists, and other investigators on the research team. This position is for three years but could be less to facilitate the candidate’s career mobility. The candidate should hold a Ph.D. in either range science, botany, ecology, biology, environmental science, plant breeding, plant pathology, plant physiology, or a similar natural resource or agricultural field. Preference will be given to candidates with strong writing and oral communication skills and who have demonstrated their ability to publish in peer-reviewed journals. The candidate should also have analytical and statistical skills and experience conducting field-based research. 

Application: To apply, please send a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, unofficial college transcripts, and contact information for three references to Matthew Madsen (matthew.madsen@byu.edu) or Brad Geary (brad_geary@byu.edu). The position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found.