PhD Assistantship – Canada Goose Ecology: Illinois Natural History Survey.

Agency: Illinois Natural History Survey

Location: Champaign, IL

Job Category: Graduate Assistantships

Website: http://wwx.inhs.illinois.edu/fieldstations/forbes/job-opportunities

Salary: The position includes a 50% research assistantship with a tuition waiver (approx. $24K/yr).

Start Date: 01/15/2017

Last Date to Apply: 10/10/2016

 

Description:

     Successful applicants will be awarded a research assistantship at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign through the Illinois Natural History Survey and the Forbes Biological Station (Havana, IL; http://www.bellrose.org/) in cooperation with Southern Illinois University. Graduate work will include examining movements and factors affecting habitat use of Canada geese throughout their annual cycle in the northern portions of the Mississippi Flyway. The student will propose research using location data of geese outfitted with GPS transmitters during winters 2014–2016 in the Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area. Possible foci could include migration phenology, winter habitat selection, breeding season habitat selection, response to disturbance and harassment, and many other topics. The student will work closely with other graduate students, full time technicians, full-time INHS staff, and staff from cooperating agencies such as the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and USDA/APHIS Wildlife Services. The student will be required to complete coursework through the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and may have the opportunity to complete coursework through and spend time at Southern Illinois University. 

Qualifications:

    Applicants should have BS and MS degrees in ecology, natural resources, wildlife biology, or a related field before 31 December 2016; demonstrated writing ability; GPA ≥ 3.5; and GRE scores in the 60th percentile or better. Preferred candidates will have extensive experience analyzing data, including survival analysis in MARK; spatial modeling in ArcGIS, R, SAS, or other software packages; and working with large volumes of spatial data. Candidates must have a strong work ethic, contribute to a positive work environment, be able to supervise technicians, work with private landowners, and work effectively within a team and independently. Self-motivation and a passion for research are critical personality traits for successful completion of this project.

Salary and Appointment: 

    The position includes a 50% research assistantship with a tuition waiver (approx. $24K/yr). Please contact potential supervisors Dr. Heath Hagy (hhagy@illinois.edu) and Dr. Mike Ward (mpward@illinois.edu) for more information. Assistantship and tuition waiver contingent upon admission into UIUC NRES.

Application: 

     Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until a suitable candidate is identified. Interested students should send a cover letter, CV, unofficial transcripts and GRE scores, and contact information for three references electronically in a single document to Dr. Heath Hagy (hhagy@illinois.edu) by 10 October 2016 for full consideration.

Quantitative Human Dimensions of Wildlife – Determining use, economic impacts and value of Game Lands in North Carolina: NC State University.

School: NC State University

Location: Raleigh, NC

Job Category: Graduate Assistantships

Salary: ~$20,000/yr, tuition, health insurance

Start Date: 08/15/2017

Last Date to Apply: 10/31/2016

 

Description:

    The Ph.D. student will lead a unique state wide project to estimate and evaluate the use and value of Game Lands in North Carolina. The student will integrate multiple data sources (e.g., camera traps, in-person surveys, online surveys) to estimate game land use while working closely with state agency and interdisciplinary team of researchers (e.g., biologists, economists, sociologists, statisticians) to understand the overall market and non-market value of game lands. Primary advisors will be Drs. Peterson and Pacifici in the Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation, Biology Program. The student will have opportunities to explore their own research questions in conjunction with the project.

 

Qualifications:

    M.S. degree in Wildlife Biology, Sociology, Statistics or related fields. Strong quantitative skills, interests in hierarchical modeling, strong interpersonal skills. Experience with R and BUGS (i.e. WinBUGS, OpenBUGS, JAGS) programming languages preferred. For more information please contact: Nils Peterson (nils_peterson@ncsu.edu).