Graduate Research Assistantships (M.S. and Ph.D.) Ecology of Lyme Disease in the eastern United States
Graduate Research Assistantships (M.S. and Ph.D.) are available as part of a new 4-year NSF-funded research program on the ecology of Lyme disease beginning in summer or fall 2010. The successful applicants will play key roles in the newly funded NSF Ecology of Infectious Disease program: Testing alternative hypotheses for gradients in Lyme disease in the eastern U.S.: climate, host community and vector genetic structure (Award EF-0914476). This $2.5 million program is a collaborative effort led by Michigan State University and involving The University of Tennessee, The University of Montreal, Hofstra University, Georgia Southern University, the University of Rhode Island and the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Graduate students will help develop and participate in an extensive field and laboratory sampling program designed to test hypotheses about the ecological reasons for current distributional patterns of Lyme disease. The program aims to understand the ecological drivers for the geographic variation in Lyme disease risk in eastern North America. More information about the project and available assistantships can be found at: http://wildlifehealth.tennessee.edu/lyme_gradient/ Skills: Essential background includes an undergraduate degree (if applying for M.S.), and a Bachelor’s or Master’s level degree (if applying for Ph.D.) in biology, ecology, environmental biology, entomology, wildlife biology, or microbiology. Additional desirable competencies include project management skills, molecular biology, geographic information systems, and general field and laboratory skills relevant to the ecology of infectious diseases of wildlife (particularly the ecology/epidemiology of Lyme disease or other arthropod-borne diseases). Application Process: There is presently no closing date for applications, however the initial round of applicants will be considered starting in November 2009. Requests for further information, and applications (in electronic format, including statement of interest, full Curriculum Vitae and names of three references with contact information), should be submitted to: Michigan State University (Ph.D. student): Dr. Jean Tsao at [email protected] University of Tennessee (M.S., Ph.D.): Dr. Graham Hickling at [email protected] Hofstra University (M.S.): Dr. Russell Burke at [email protected] University of Rhode Island (Ph.D.): Dr. Howard Ginsberg at [email protected] and Dr. Roger LeBrun at [email protected] For which position(s) should you apply? We are a team of co-investigators (also including Dr. Lorenza Beati at Georgia Southern University and Dr. Nicholas Ogden at University of Montreal) that encompasses a variety of disciplinary and cultural backgrounds, professional positions, and skills. More information on us is available here: (http://wildlifehealth.tennessee.edu/lyme_gradient/positions_available.htm). Review the material and links at the above webpage, considering carefully each investigator and graduate program to see which seems best aligned with your particular interests, skills and intended career path. Look at our individual, department, and institutional websites, as the formal training will vary. Note that while you will be based at a particular university, the questions in this study require us to integrate each institution’s research, so you will become part of our overall team which will transcend the boundaries of our individual labs. Therefore, you will be responsible to the overall team and you will be able to draw on the expertise and experiences of all the co-investigators. So, to reiterate, look to see which advisor and graduate program best suits your particular interests and goals, but recognize that you’ll be able to interact with and learn from our larger group of mentors and peers as well.
