PhD Studentship in High-elevation and Coastal Biodiversity and Climate Change; School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria. The School of Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria (British Columbia, Canada) has an opening for a PhD student to join a collaborative team studying the interior and high-elevation biodiversity of sites in the Great Bear Rainforest and the Coast Range of British Columbia. The successful PhD student will be supervised by Brian Starzomski, in the School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria. Responsibilities: This PhD position is part of a large collaborative project that seeks to understand the importance of, and processes structuring, interior and high-elevation biodiversity within the Great Bear Rainforest, BC, as well as in the Coast Range. The large trees and near shore regions on the BC Coast are well known and studied, but in fact much of the interior in this region is characterized by stunted vegetation in bogs and on mountaintops. Little is known about it. Further, climate change predictions for BC show significant impacts on biodiversity in these environments. The PhD student will be responsible for studying the drivers of diversity in, for example, plant, pollinator, or soil communities. Field sites for comparison studies include those surrounding the Hakai Beach Institute on Calvert Island, BC, and high-elevation sites in the Coast Range north of Whistler, BC. Photos of the 2011 field season can be found here: http://web.uvic.ca/~starzom/research.html Employment Details: The anticipated start date is September 1, 2012, though this is negotiable. Early entry may be available to have a field season in Summer 2012. Compensation will be at NSERC rates ($21,000 per year) and the position will extend for 3 years, pending successful progress. Qualifications: An MSc degree in Biology or Environmental Studies with a specialization in community, population, or landscape ecology, or conservation or management (or a related discipline) is required. Exceptional undergraduate candidates will also be considered. The successful candidate will have a strong quantitative background, excellent grounding in population and community ecology experimental design, or a demonstrated capacity to learn such these skills. An individual who is excited to work with First Nations partners on this project will have an advantage in the selection process. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply. More information about the Starzomski Lab can be found here: http://web.uvic.ca/~starzom/index.html For more information email [email protected]. Applications (including a CV, transcripts, the names of 3 references, and a letter of interest) can be sent to the same address. Review of applications will start December 1, 2011 until a suitable candidate is found. Note that the deadline for graduate applications to the School of Environmental Studies is January 15, 2012. All candidates should read the details at this link: http://web.uvic.ca/~starzom/prosp.html.
