PhD Assistantship - DNA Barcoding of Ecological Networks The Baiser lab of community ecology in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida is now accepting applications for a PhD Graduate Assistantship position. My research focuses on how ecological communities assemble, change, and collapse. The effect of invasive species on ecological communities is a common theme throughout my research. The PhD project will focus on plant-herbivore networks in the pine rockland of south Florida. The pine rockland is a globally imperiled ecosystem with only 2% of its habitat remaining in fragments embedded within the urban matrix of Miami, FL and in Everglades National Park. The majority of work in this unique ecosystem has focused on the plant community, which includes 432 species of which 31 are endemic to Florida, five are federally endangered, and five are candidates for federal listing. Habitat fragmentation, invasive species, and an altered fire regime have been identified as key threats to the pine rockland plant community. However, these plants are embedded within a food web with herbivores serving as the direct link from the plants to higher level consumers. Knowledge of how endangered and invasive plants differ in their location within networks, if they share common herbivores, and if herbivores are invasive or native is important for conserving this critically endangered ecosystem.
The student will use DNA barcoding to determine feeding interactions in plant-herbivore food webs and use network analysis to test hypotheses about the overall structure of the network and the location of specific species within the network. The student will be located in the Baiser lab but will be part of an interdisciplinary team that includes Dr. Emily Sessa (UF, Biology) and Dr. Jiri Hulcr (UF, School of Forest Resource Conservation). The student will have the unique opportunity to integrate molecular ecology, network analysis, and conservation biology. The assistantship includes full tuition coverage, Gator Grad Care health insurance, and a yearly salary of $20,000/FTE .50 (20 hours/week) for up to four years. The student will TA one semester per year. The position will be located at the UF campus in Gainesville, FL. Expected start date is August 25, 2014, the start of Fall term, but applications will be accepted until the position has been filled. Qualified applicants will be highly motivated, enthusiastic, and have a MS in ecology, molecular ecology, botany, entomology, biology, or a closely related field. Experience with DNA barcoding, network analysis, and programming in R, MATLAB, or Mathematica is ideal. A strong background in statistics (e.g., minor in statistics) is a major plus as the student will likely TA biostatistics courses. Further information on the Baiser lab can be found at http://www.wec.ufl.edu/faculty/baiser/ Prospective students should send the following information with the subject line "PhD Position" to [email protected]: - One page cover letter describing your research experience, interests, and goals - CV - GRE scores - Transcripts (unofficial) from undergraduate and graduate education - Contact information for three academic references
