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Opening: PhD Student in Biogeography, Societies, Climate Change, or Species Interactions Positions for PhD students are available in the laboratory of Rob Dunn at North Carolina State University, with funding through a mix of research assistantships and TAs to work on any of a wide range of topics. Student should be curious, driven and excited enough about science that it is what they might choose to do were they to win the lottery. Opportunities exist to work on… societies (be they insect or otherwise), climate change, biogeography or some combination thereof. Within this context, students interested in the biology of parasites, infectious diseases, mutualists (be they butterflies, plants, microbes or anything else) or commensals of social insects and other societies are particularly encouraged to apply. Research projects that span more than one lab within our conservation ecology lab group (http://www4.ncsu.edu/~rrdunn/labgroup.html), social insect group (http://www.ncsu.edu/project/honey_bee_res/NCSU- SIWG.html) or with existing collaborators associated with global projects on ants (http://www.antmacroecology.org/) are also encouraged. Students who are interested in applying to the lab should send a CV, a list of reference writers, and a writing sample to Rob_Dunn “at” ncsu.edu. The CV should include information about existing skill sets such as languages spoken, molecular techniques, natural history knowledge, databasing abilities, GIS, or taxonomic knowledge. If you can identify, for example, every ant, fungus, springtail, carnivore tick, or mammal species in New Mexico, Alberta or anywhere else, let me know. Current student projects in the lab include work on the biogeography of carnivores and their parasites, the behavior of male ants, the consequences of the cryptic invasion of a termite specialist ant, and modeling of the interactions between seed dispersers and seeds. Lab projects include global analysis of the biogeography of ants, modeling consequences of climate change for insects, pests and diseases, and an effort to work with NASA to highlight areas where discovery of new species is most likely. Inquires from individuals of diverse backgrounds and underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged. For more information about the lab see: http://www4.ncsu.edu/~rrdunn/
