Two or more Ph.D. assistantships available beginning in Fall 2008 for research on coupled human-natural systems at the Pennsylvania State University. Students will work with an interdisciplinary team of ecologists, geographers, economists, demographers, and rural sociologists. The research will focus on land-use transitions from traditional agriculture to sustainable agriculture and exurban development. Our team is striving to understand social and ecological causes and consequences of these transitions. Potential ecological research themes include (but are not limited to) invasion biology, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, ecosystem nutrient cycling, and water or air quality. Potential social science themes include (but are not limited to) land use, sustainable or alternative agricultural enterprise development, human population dynamics, complex systems, local food systems, sense of place, collective action, local land-use governance, household resource allocation and decision making, and urban ecology. Students are encouraged to contact Jill Findeis (fa2 at psu.edu), Jason Kaye (jpk12 at psu.edu), Kathy Brasier (kjb24 at psu.edu), or David Mortensen (dam37 at psu.edu). Students can matriculate through the Ecology (http://ecology.psu.edu/), Soil Science (http://cropsoil.psu.edu/academic/soilscienceg.cfm), Agronomy (http://cropsoil.psu.edu/academic/agronomyg.cfm), Rural Sociology (http://www.aers.psu.edu/programs/RuralSociology.htm), or Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Economics (http://aerec.aers.psu.edu/) graduate programs after talking with potential advisors. Students with interests in the social sciences are encouraged to consider simultaneously earning a PhD in the dual-degree Demography (http://www.pop.psu.edu/general/dual-degree/dual-degree.htm) or Operations Research (http://www2.ie.psu.edu/or/index.html) programs.
