*Recruiting new PhD students for research in fire ecology and forest soil black carbon, Michigan State University*
Exciting opportunities exist for new PhD students in the Department of Forestry at Michigan State University, for independent research in fire ecology and management. Research projects will focus on understanding the role of black carbon (C) in forest soils, and may include investigating relationships among forest fuels, fire and black C; understanding the role of black C in soil nutrient and microbial community dynamics; and quantifying black C fluxes following fire disturbance. Strong written, verbal and computation skills are essential; prior experience in field or laboratory research is desired. Successful applicants will be expected to work independently as well as collaboratively as an active member of a research group, conduct field work in remote locations under variable weather conditions, and perform detailed laboratory analyses with a high level of precision. To express interest in these opportunities, please send: (1) a statement of research interests/background and professional goals, (2) a CV, (3) a list of 3-4 professional references (names and contact information), (4) GRE scores, and (5) TOEFL scores (international students only) to Dr. Jessica Miesel at [email protected]. Funding is available for outstanding applicants. For full consideration, interested students should apply to the MSU Graduate School ( http://grad.msu.edu/apply/online.aspx) before December 15, 2012. Successful applicants will be housed in the Department of Forestry, with opportunity to participate in MSU’s interdisciplinary Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior program (http://eebb.msu.edu/) (ranked among the top Ecology & Evolutionary Biology PhD programs by the National Research Council) and/or the Environmental Science & Policy Program ( http://www.espp.msu.edu/index.php). For more information about the Department of Forestry, go to http://www.for.msu.edu/. Questions about these opportunities can be emailed to Dr. Miesel. In-person meetings can be arranged for students attending the AFE Fire Ecology & Management Congress in Portland December 3-7, 2012. Jessica R. Miesel Assistant Professor of Applied Forest Ecology and Management Department of Forestry Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824 http://www.for.msu.edu/faculty/jessica_miesel
