We seek a Ph.D. student with training and interest in plant physiological ecology or a related field to study mechanisms of community transitions in the Mojave Desert. The focus is on the blackbrush community, one of the most endangered communities in the Mojave Desert. The research is part of a multi-investigator research collaboration involving two universities (Texas State University San Marcos, California State University Fullerton, and three USGS field offices in Menlo Park, California, Moab, UT, and Las Vegas, NV. For more information, visit the project website: http://mojave.usgs.gov/rvde/index.html
Initially the study will focus on the role of soil depth in modifying the competitive interactions of creosotebush (the dominant shrub at lower elevations) and blackbrush (dominant at higher elevations). The student is expected to develop future research directions according to his or her interests under the guidance of the project leaders. The project requires willingness to pursue physically demanding field work in relatively isolated locations and to spend the summer break near the field sites which are in proximity to Mojave National Preserve, about 50 miles outside of Las Vegas. The Ph.D. position is with the Biology Department of Texas State University in San Marcos and is in part supported by a teaching assistantship in the Department of Biology. The student will have the opportunity to earn additional summer salary working with the USGS office in Las Vegas during summer. San Marcos, Texas, is situated halfway between the culturally diverse metropolitan centers of Austin and San Antonio, at the foot of the Texas Hill Country, an environmentally attractive region of many spring-fed rivers. For more information about the department follow the link www.bio.txstate.edu . For more information about our Ph.D. program follow: http://www.aquaticresources.bio.txstate.edu . To send a letter of interest or for any other inquiries about this opportunity, contact: Susan Schwinning Department of Biology Texas State University San Marcos, TX 78666 521-245-3753 [email protected] The deadline for applying to the Ph.D. program for an August 2011 starting date is January 15, 2011.
