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The Global Change Macroecology lab is recruiting….

…a Postdoc to start Fall 2026 or January 2027

The Global Change Macroecology Lab in the Dept. of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources at Rutgers University is recruiting a Postdoc to start as early as October 2026 and not later than January 2027. The postdoc will do quantitative work using big ecological and environmental datasets, GIS tools and quantitative/spatial approaches to understand how wildlife species are reacting to climate change at continental or global scales. Specific project ideas could include (but are not limited to) developing/applying new spatial modelling approaches to improve range shift projections under climate change, using ensemble machine learning approaches to regionally model species-environment interactions across species ranges, using citizen science data to estimate trends in range or phenological shifts and niche loss (climate or habitat) under climate change, or applying individual movement data to understand animal movement following ecological disturbance. Work with birds is preferred for certain projects but other terrestrial taxa can certainly be considered. Applicant must be a strong writer and quantitatively skilled with experience using GIS tools and statistical software, ideally R, and could have a PhD in one of several fields including ecology, biology, environmental science, geography, or computer science. Applicants can contact me via email with a cover letter and CV. Preference will be given to applicants who can work in-person.

…and a PhD student to start Fall 2027

The Global Change Macroecology Lab in the Dept. of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources at Rutgers University is recruiting a PhD student to start Fall 2027. We are looking for applicants who are interested in running a a field-based and quantitative project that will explore avian community changes following extreme weather events, as moderated by both species traits and habitat structure, both from a variety of sites in central NJ and with data across the eastern US. This will involve both bioacoustics and point-count surveys. Core requirements are visual/audio bird identification skills in the eastern US and strong writing and quantitative skills, with GIS skills being a plus. There is also significant potential for involvement in a public outreach program involving leading bird walks that integrate research communication.

Interested applicants can contact me by filling out this form. I will be at the 2026 Ecological Society of America meeting in Salt Lake City and would be happy to chat. Please share with your networks and potential applicants! I will be reviewing applications and contacting potential candidates with follow-up questions in September/October. Formal Rutgers E&E Program applications for Fall 2027 are due by December 1st 2026. For more information about the E&E Program at Rutgers see: https://deenr.rutgers.edu/graduate/about. For details on stipend and other benefits see (but note that stipends for 2027 are currently being negotiated and are likely to increase): https://ohr.rutgers.edu/ta-ga-highlights-collective-negotiations-agreement.html

Additional Opportunities

Undergraduate students
​We encourage undergraduate students with interests in wildlife ecology, climate change ecology, quantitative ecology, GIS, big data, or similar topics to reach out about potential opportunities. Prospective undergraduates should contact Dr. Jeremy Cohen via email outlining their interests in the lab, their year and major, and their desired degree of involvement.

Graduate students
Prospective graduate students can apply to the Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources program (MS, PhD). When there are no specific funded positions advertised above, interested students should contact Dr. Jeremy Cohen via email outlining their research experiences, interests, and possible topics of graduate study with their CV. Generally, our lab uses big data, GIS and quantitative/spatial approaches to understand how wildlife species are reacting to climate change. Students are encouraged to consider writing a fellowship proposal (e.g., NSF GRFP, NASA FINESST) to help develop their research interests. The EENR graduate program deadline is December 1st for students starting the following Fall semester and there are no Spring admissions, so please reach out at least a month before the deadline. Postdoc and grad student pay info. 

Additional Postdoctoral fellowship opportunities
If there are no postdoctoral positions advertised, interested applicants are encouraged to apply for external fellowship funding. Some examples being, the LSRF Fellowship (Fall deadline), the Smith Fellowship (Fall deadline), NSERC Fellowship (Canadian citizens/permanent residents, Fall deadline), NSF-PRFB (US citizen/permanent residents), Simons Foundation, or the HSFP Fellowship (non-US nationals, Spring deadline). I am happy to discuss fellowship project ideas, feel free to email me.