We are seeking a PhD student in the area of ecosystem management to develop our understanding of the natural range of variability of eastern balsam fir forests and the deviation imposed by the intensification of forest management and increasing population of large herbivores. To reach the objectives of the project the candidate will have to analyses historical (1930) and contemporary data on the composition and structure of forest plots located in the Gaspesie peninsula, Quebec, Canada and to establish relationships between moose abundance data from Quebec’s large mammals aerial survey program and data from decadal forest surveys.
We offer a PhD scholarship (18 500$/year x 3 years) and support for a 3-4 months visit to an international lab during the PhD program. The PhD will be conducted under the supervision of Dr Dominique Arseneault at the Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR) with the collaboration of Jean- Pierre Tremblay from Université Laval. UQAR is a francophone institution located close to the study area in eastern Quebec, CA. The successful candidate should own or on the way to obtain a MSc in biology or forest sciences, have experience with field work in remote areas, numerical analyses of data and redaction of scientific manuscripts. Applicants should submit a CV, a statement of research interests, a copy of their last academic transcript, and the names and contact information for two references. Start date is targeted for spring 2011. Please submit applications before 4 February to: Dominique Arseneault ([email protected]), Département de biologie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec, Canada G5L 3A1 and Jean-Pierre Tremblay ([email protected]), Département de biologie, Université Laval, 1045, avenue de la Médecine, Québec, Québec, Canada, G1V 0A6
