M.S. Assistantship in Wildlife Spatial Ecology at the University of Florida

School: University of Florida

Location: Gainesville, FL

Job Category: Graduate Assistantships

Website: http://plaza.ufl.edu/robert.fletcher/

Salary: 17,000-20,000

Start Date: 08/15/2017

Last Date to Apply: 11/18/2016

 

Description:

     Graduate student opportunity in wildlife spatial ecology and conservation at the University of Florida. We are seeking a highly motivated M.S. student for the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation (WEC) at the University of Florida, starting Spring 2017 or Fall 2017 (Fall 2017 more likely). This student will work as part of a landscape-scale research project on the spatial ecology, population biology, and conservation of Southeastern American Kestrels (Falco sparverius paulus). In Florida, kestrels are listed as Threatened, but the current trend and status are largely unknown. The subspecies is closely tied to upland habitat (e.g., scrub, sand pine, sandhill, prairie, pasture), which have been declining in recent decades. The project offers a unique opportunity to work alongside state biologists and University faculty to conduct research that will directly inform development of habitat management guidelines (HMG) for a Species of Greatest Conservation Need.
      The project has three primary objectives. However, students with strong initiative and desire to carve out their own research questions within this theme are highly encouraged to apply.
Objective 1. Provide a current baseline population estimate and subsequent monitoring protocol for Ocala National Forest, one of the three largest breeding populations of southeastern American kestrels in Florida.
Objective 2. Develop HMG for southeastern American kestrels in scrub based on occupancy and productivity in different habitat conditions.
Objective 3. Identify common habitat needs as well as potential conflicts associated with managing Florida scrub-jays and other imperiled species in southeastern American kestrel habitat.  

Qualifications:

     The student will be co-advised by Robert Fletcher (University of Florida) and Karl Miller (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission). Preferred applicants will be highly motivated, have field experience conducting avian point counts, have strong quantitative skills, and competitive GPA/GRE scores. If you are interested in pursuing a graduate degree on this project, please send Dr. Fletcher a CV, GRE scores and GPA, contact information for three references, and a brief statement of your research interests, career goals, and why you would like to pursue a graduate degree prior to November 18, 2016 (email to: robert.fletcher@ufl.edu). Please see the WEC Graduate Program website for more details on application procedures. For more information, see: http://plaza.ufl.edu/robert.fletcher/.