> > Interested in pursuing a PhD? Come take a look at Texas A&M! The Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University, a growing and vibrant Department with stimulating and diverse research opportunities, is pleased to announce the availability of travel grants for prospective PhD students. These grants, which provide airfare (within the continental United States), hotel accommodations and a per diem for food, give prospective PhD students the opportunity to meet our faculty, students and staff, tour the department and campus, and explore College Station. For more information on how to apply for a PhD travel grant, please visit us at http://entomology.tamu.edu/.

> > > > Dr. Raul F. Medina

> Professor

> Department of Entomology

> Texas A&M University

> TAMU 2475

> College Station, TX 77843

> USA

> Phone: +1-301-335-4464

An MS or PhD graduate position in conservation genomics is available to

study fine-scale population genomic structure of the rare Californian

endemic, Torrey Pine with Jill Hamilton at North Dakota State University,

Fargo, North Dakota in collaboration with Sean Hoban (The Morton Arboretum,

Lisle, IL) starting January 2017.

Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana Parry) in one of the rarest pines in the world,

restricted to two populations, a mainland grove of approximately 3400 trees

just north of San Diego and an island population of approximately 2000 trees

on Santa Rosa Island, one of the Channel Islands (nearly 300 km away). This

project will evaluate the fine-scale genomic structure of natural

populations using RAD-seq, comparing mainland and island population and

assess the status of genetic variation captured within an ex situ seed

collection. There is plenty of room to pursue particular questions of

interest depending on the interest and experience of the candidate.

This interdisciplinary research will combine genomic, spatial and

environmental datasets to ground-truth an ex situ seed collection and

investigate genetic connectivity at a fine-scale. This project will involve

substantial collaboration with tree scientists at the Morton Arboretum in

Lisle, IL (outside of Chicago) and is part of a large collaborative network

to conserve Torrey pine between the US Forest Service, National Park

Service, California State Parks, San Diego Zoo, and North Dakota State

University.

The ideal graduate student will be independent, organized and a problem

solver. Ideally the student will have some experience in lab bench work,

molecular ecology/population genetics, and/or bioinformatics for genomic

data analyses, and be prepared to conduct some field-based research in a

collaborative environment.

For more information on the Hamilton Lab please visit the lab website at:

http://www.jillahamilton.com and more information on the Department of

Biological Sciences at NDSU at https://www.ndsu.edu/biology/. Fargo

is the largest city in the northern Midwest and as the =91Gateway to the West=92

is a vibrant, growing community that has access to numerous outdoor

opportunities for all seasons. Short visits (one week to one month) will

be hosted at the Morton Arboretum (http://www.mortonarb.org/) in Lisle,

Illinios, with Dr. Sean Hoban as primary host

(http://www.mortonarb.org/science-conservation/scientists-and-staff/sean-hoban).

Interested students are encouraged to contact Dr. Hamilton

(jill.hamilton@ndsu.edu). Please include a brief description of your

research interests, a writing sample and a CV in your email. This position

is fully-funded and includes an annual salary, a tuition waiver and is open

to US students or international students.

Funded PhD and Masters Opportunities

Terrestrial Ecosystem Responses and Feedbacks to Climate Change Texas Tech University, Department of Biological Sciences, Lubbock, TX

I am looking for motivated PhD or Masters students interested in exploring terrestrial ecosystem responses and feedbacks to climate change. In my lab, we use a =

combination of empirical, theoretical, and simulation studies to examine feedbacks between terrestrial plants and soils and the Earth=92s climate system. You will have the opportunity to work on a variety of topics at a number of different scales, from the leaf to the globe. Topics currently being studied in the lab include:

– Photosynthetic acclimation to climate change – Physiological mechanisms underlying plant biomass responses to nutrient=

addition – Mechanistic models of plant respiration – Land use decision – climate feedbacks – Agricultural responses to climate – Development of next generation land surface models

More information about the lab is at www.smithecophyslab.com.

The lab has financial support for multiple students through a combination of research and teaching assistantships.

Requirements: (1) Bachelor=92s degree in a relevant field, including, but not limited to Ecology, Botany, Environmental Science, Microbiology, Atmospheric Science, Geoscience, Physics, Computer Science, or Statistics; (2) interest in gaining empirical and modeling skills; (3) curiosity about how the natural world works; (4) ability to work independently and collaboratively.

Interested students are encouraged to first contact Nick at nick.smith@tt=

u.edu. Application details can be found at www.depts.ttu.edu/biology/Graduate/graduatestudies.php.

Positions are available starting as early as Summer 2018.

Nick Smith

Assistant Professor – Texas Tech University Adjunct Assistant Professor – Purdue University

Email: nick.smith@ttu.edu

Phone: 806-834-7363

Website: www.smithecophyslab.com

The van Gestel lab at Texas Tech University (TTU), department of Biological Sciences and the TTU Climate Science Center is seeking for a qualified PhD or Master=92s student interested in carbon cycling. The lab is focused on microbial ecology and plant ecophysiology in the context of climate change.

Specific topics include: microbial responses to temperature variability, controls of microbial community composition, and plant photosynthetic responses to climate change. See www.nvangestel.com for more information on research conducted in the van Gestel lab.

Brief description:

The student will conduct a warming experiment in Antarctica to understand the effects of warming on carbon fluxes, microbial activity, and plant growth. This project is funded by the National Science Foundation. The trip requires a 4-month trip to the western Antarctic Peninsula (December 2018 through early April 2019) at Palmer Station, a small US research station (see http://pal.lternet.edu/).

The student will receive a research assistantship during the spring semester in which fieldwork is conducted. Teaching assistantships for other semesters are available through the Department of Biological Sciences.

Position: Master=92s or PhD

Qualifications: highly motivated, independent thinker, with a genuine interest in biogeochemical cycles and climate change. Experience in lab and/or fieldwork is preferred. Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.

Start date: January 2018

Application material: – Letter of interest from the prospective student. That statement should include research interests, and a statement of the student=92s professional goals. Include GPA (including graduate GPA if applicable).

– Names and contact information of three references.

– Curriculum vitae.

To ensure consideration, submit application materials by October 20, 2017, to natasja.van-gestel@ttu.edu.

The School of Earth Science and Environmental Sustainability (SESES) at Northern Arizona University (NAU) seeks a graduate research assistant (GRA) at the Masters level interested in investigating the =93Ecosystem Services of Wild and Scenic Rivers.=94 The two-year GRA position will begin in fall 2018 and is part of a National Parks Service (NPS)-funded research project through the Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit at NAU (see for details: https://nau.edu/cefns/forestry/cpcesu/) The assistantship provides a 9- month stipend, tuition waiver, and health insurance for the first year. This position will be extended as a teaching assistantship for an additional year or if funding permits, as a research assistantship. The GRA will work under the direct supervision of Dr. Denielle Perry. The Fall application deadline for SESES is January 15th, though earlier submissions are encouraged. Interested applicants should send a brief letter of interest and a copy of their CV (including GPA and GRE scores) via email to Denielle.Perry@nau.edu prior to formally applying to the NAU Graduate School.

Northern Arizona University=92s School of Earth Sciences and Environmenta=

l Sustainability draws upon faculty and professionals in the natural and social sciences to combine outreach and educational programs addressing the diverse needs of stakeholders with undergraduate degrees in environmental sciences, environmental studies, and geology.

For more information, visit: https://nau.edu/CEFNS/NatSci/SESES/Degrees-

Programs/Graduate/MS-Environmental-Sciences-and-Policy/

Graduate Student Research Opportunity in Restoration Ecology

The Schwinning Lab is recruiting a graduate student (M.S.) to start in

January 2018. The position is in partly funded through a grant from the USGS

and partly through a teaching assistantship in the Biology Department at

Texas State University, San Marcos.

The study is located Utah conducted in collaboration with Dr. Lesley DeFalco

(USGS Field Office, Henderson, NV). The goal is to develop guidelines for

the restoration or rehabilitation of abandoned oil/gas exploration sites

within the Colorado Plateau bioregion. The student’s responsibility will be

to conduct restoration experiments to identify the main barriers to native

shrub establishment and develop remedies for overcoming such barriers. The

student will complete an M.S. degree in Population and Conservation Biology

in the Biology Department at Texas State University, San Marcos.

Minority students are especially encouraged to apply. The successful

candidate must have a strong background in any field of plant science and

the willingness and ability to do field work under challenging physical

conditions. If you are interested and want to learn more, contact Dr. Susan

Schwinning at schwinn@txstate.edu. To apply for the position, send (1) a

cover letter expressing your research interests, relevant experience and

present career goals; (2) a resume or CV; and (3) unofficial transcripts to

Dr. Schwinning. Applications to The Graduate College for the Spring Semester

of 2018 are due in early December.

I am looking for a MS or PhD student interested in plant community ecology to begin in January 2018.  The University of South Dakota is beginning a graduate (MS and PhD) program in sustainability that is expected to be fully approved this semester.  The student could either major in sustainability or biology.

The research would be focused on the COmparing Managed Prairie Systems (COMPS) experiment, which is a field experiment that began in 2014.  The overarching research objective of this experiment is to determine how two factors, the timing of disturbance and plant functional group identity, interact to affect biomass production, plant community composition, and exotic species invasion in managed tallgrass prairie systems.  Research on the COMPS experiment will include aboveground and belowground plant dynamics.

Funding for the position will be through a combination of graduate assistantships and teaching assistantships.

Interested applicants should e-mail me (Meghann.Jarchow@usd.edu) with any questions and the following information:

*         a CV or resume with GPA and GRE scores and

*         a brief statement of research experience, research interests, and career goals.

Meghann Jarchow

Assistant Professor

Sustainability Program Coordinator

Department of Biology

University of South Dakota

https://www.jarchowlab.org/

Ruth Yanai is seeking new graduate students (MS or PhD) to participate in a large collaborative project investigating above and belowground carbon allocation, nutrient cycling, and tradeoffs involved in multiple resource allocation.  The Multiple Element Limitation in Northern Hardwood Ecosystems (MELNHE) project has field sites located at Hubbard Brook, Jeffers Brook, and Bartlett Experimental Forests in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.=20 Since 2011, thirteen stands have been receiving N, P, N&P, and control treatments in 0.25-ha plots, with six stands receiving Ca treatments. Research in the MELNHE project includes soil respiration, soil mineralization, beech bark disease, leaf production by species, foliar nutrient resorption, water use, mycorrhizae, forest productivity, and snail and arthropod diversity.  More information on the project can be found at http://www.esf.edu/melnhe.

We welcome inquiries from prospective students interested in forest ecology, nutrient cycling, and uncertainty analysis. Applicants should be self-

motivated, excited to work as part of a multi-investigator project, have laboratory and field experience, and be comfortable living and working in a group setting. A field crew blog from previous years is available at http://shoestringproject.wordpress.com/.

A January 2018 start is an option.  Normally, students start in the field about June 1, so as to become familiar with the field sites and our research activities before starting classes in late August.=20  Funding will consist of a combination of research and teaching assistantships. A stipend, full tuition waiver, health insurance, and a summer position with the field crew in New Hampshire will be provided. Prospective students may apply to the Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management or the Graduate Program in Environmental Science, both at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY.

We appreciate communicating with students as part of the application process. Students are encouraged to review MELNHE related data and publications and supply their own ideas for research in relation to the project. Prospective students should begin that conversation by requesting the password for Ruth’s project materials from Mary Hagemann at forestecology@esf.edu

Thank you,

Mary Hagemann/Research Support Specialist

The Gugger Lab <http://research.al.umces.edu/pgugger> at the University of

Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) is seeking a motivated

Ph.D. or M.S. student to develop a thesis project on ecological,

evolutionary, or conservation genomics of trees. The lab uses

next-generation sequencing approaches to understand how populations of

long-lived trees respond evolutionarily to environmental change, the

molecular basis of local adaptation, the factors influencing population

genetic variation, the role of hybridization in adaptation and speciation,

and implications for conservation under global change.

The ideal applicant will have prior research experience in population

genetics or plant ecology/evolution, molecular laboratory skills, strong

quantitative skills, and proficiency in or interest in learning basic

bioinformatics.

The graduate student will matriculate through the Marine, Estuarine, and

Environmental Sciences (MEES) Graduate Program (http://mees.umd.edu/) at

the University of Maryland, College Park but will reside at the Appalachian

Laboratory in scenic Frostburg (western MD, http://www.umces.edu/al) for

the duration of the degree. Three years of support are available through

research assistantships, with additional support possible through teaching

assistantships and fellowships (e.g.,

http://www.umces.edu/education/graduate/fellowships

<http://www.umces.edu/fellowship-opportunities>). Starting date can be as

soon as January 2018 and no later than Fall 2018.

To apply, please first email Paul Gugger (pgugger@umces.edu) a single PDF

containing (1) a statement of interest, (2) a CV, and (3) contact

information for three references. Please indicate =E2=80=9CGenomics graduat=

e

position=E2=80=9D in your subject line.

UMCES is an affirmative action, EOE. Individuals with disabilities,

veterans, women and minorities are encouraged to apply.