The USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs) host an innovative, nationally-coordinated postdoctoral research program that provides cohorts of early-career researchers with management-relevant research experiences on the effects of climate change on fish, wildlife and ecosystems.
The Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral (CAP) Fellows Program is a one-of-a-kind research opportunity that brings together postdoctoral scholars from around the country to conduct independent and collaborative research on climate change impacts to fish, wildlife, and ecosystems.
Hosted by the USGS National and regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs), the CAP Fellows Program supports management-relevant research and scientific synthesis at both national and regional scales. Each two-year fellowship cohort is centered around a common climate theme, such as wildfire or aquatic flows. Regional CASCs each host one fellow per cohort at an associated consortium university. Fellows work with mentors associated within their CASC to conduct regionally-relevant research related to the theme, focusing on the management challenges experienced by resource stewards in those areas. Simultaneously, the fellows also work with each other to create a national synthesis product that explores wide-scale implications of the theme. As part of this, the fellows come together periodically for workshops to develop their synthesis products and to undergo professional development training on topics such as translational ecology, mutual learning with stakeholders, iterative creative problem-solving, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
CAP Fellowship Cohorts
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2021-23: Future of Fire
The inaugural 2021-2023 Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral (CAP) Fellows cohort explores the many ways climate change is altering wildland fire regimes across the country, combining their diverse experiences to synthesize how 21st century fires affect natural and human communities and how managers can prepare for future fires.
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2022-24: Future of Aquatic Flows
The 2022-2024 Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral (CAP) Fellows cohort will explore how climate change is altering aquatic flows in streams and rivers across the country and how climate can be integrated into aquatic ecosystem management.
