PhD Research Opportunity, starting Fall 2014 EPSCoR Research on Adaptation to Climate Change & Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources University of Vermont
Position: PhD position in climate change biogeochemistry & trace gas emissions. Application Deadline: February 1, 2014 Project: The University of Vermont’s (UVM) EPSCoR Research on Adaptation to Climate Change (RACC) is a multidisciplinary project that aims to determine how climate change and land use will alter nutrient transport within and from the landscape. This position is funded to focus on quantifying the mitigation capacity of non-agricultural land uses in terms of carbon storage and greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., CO2, CH4 and N2O). The student will work with social scientist and biogeochemical modelers to determine the large-scale impacts of current and future land uses and climate (predicted under various climate change scenarios). More information on RACC is available at http://www.uvm.edu/~epscor/new02/?q=node/30 Responsibilities: The student will work with Dr. Adair and the RACC team to quantify carbon storage in and greenhouse gas emissions from non-agricultural land uses throughout Vermont. Duties will include identifying a novel study question, writing a study plan, designing and implementing sampling protocols, analyzing data, supervising technicians/undergraduate assistants, and preparing publications and presentations for scientific and lay audiences. The position is for a minimum of three years, potentially serving as a teaching assistant during the first two academic years. As a TA, an average of 10 hours/week would be dedicated to this research project and 10 hours/week to TA duties. Qualifications: The student should demonstrate a strong interest in biogeochemistry and climate change ecosystem ecology and have a B.S. in ecology, environmental science, plant and soil science or a related field. In some cases, related work experience may substitute for prior academic experience. Although training will be provided, experience with field or lab work, including soil, plant and trace gas sampling and analysis is highly desirable. While not required, preference will be given to students with modeling and quantitative skills, including statistical analyses and programming in R. Application: Interested applicants should submit the following: letter of interest (including relevant research interests), names and contact information of three references, and CV to Dr. Carol Adair. Interested applicants should also supply all application materials to the UVM Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources (RSENR) Program (PhD in Natural Resources) by February 1, 2014 – when applying, please state your interest in this position in the “Statement of Purpose.” (http://www.uvm.edu/rsenr/?Page=graduate-application-process.html) Carol Adair, Assistant Professor RSENR, University of Vermont [email protected], 802.656.2907 http://adairlab.weebly.com/ http://www.uvm.edu/rsenr/cadair/
