I am recruiting graduate students (M.S. or Ph.D.) to join my lab at Michigan State University (http://brudviglab.plantbiology.msu.edu/). The Brudvig Lab uses experimental and large-scale observational approaches to test questions at the interface of plant community, landscape, and restoration ecology. We take a theory-first approach, but work closely with a number of land management agencies to ensure application of our findings. Current research in the lab investigates: 1) Contingency in community assembly – the influences of temporal variability (e.g., climatic variation), spatial processes (e.g., landscape context), and history (e.g., land-use legacies) for community assembly – and application of these findings to the restoration of plant communities and 2) Landscape- scale restoration and the roles of landscape management – e.g., habitat corridors, matrix restoration – for plant population spread and community dynamics. Opportunities exist to work within a variety of ecosystems, within or outside one of my existing projects (see website for details); however, students must take an active role – and in the case of Ph.D. students, the lead role – in developing research that contributes to general themes in the lab.
Required qualifications include: a Bachelor’s degree in biology, ecology, or a related discipline, substantial research experience, and a strong desire to conduct ecological research that will help solve pressing environmental issues. Students may be admitted into the Plant Biology Department and Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior Program, to start in summer/fall 2012. For more information, including application details, please see: http://www.plantbiology.msu.edu/; http://eebb.msu.edu/. Interested individuals should email Lars Brudvig ([email protected]) with a copy of their CV, GRE scores, undergraduate GPA, and a brief description of their past research experience and interests for research in graduate school.
