I am seeking a PhD student to develop spatially explicit metapopulation models for evaluating hypotheses regarding the effects of patch quality, patch configuration, and landscape structure on metapopulation dynamics. The models will be applied to data from an ongoing study of the Chiricahua leopard frog (Lithobates chiricahuensis), a federally-threatened species. The models will serve as the basis of a population viability analysis (PVA) in which extinction risk will be estimated under several proposed management actions and under various climate change scenarios.
An important objective of the research is to use the results of the PVA in a structured decision making process to inform conservation efforts aimed at increasing metapopulation viability on the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in southern Arizona. The candidate will therefore be expected to work closely with refuge biologists, managers, and other stakeholders. Some field work may also be involved. The ideal candidate will be highly motivated, capable of working independently and in groups, and will have a solid foundation in population ecology, statistical modeling, and decision analysis. The student will join my lab (chandlerlab.wordpress.com) at the University of Georgia's Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources (www.warnell.uga.edu). Work will be conducted in collaboration with several USGS science centers and the Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. The position will begin in August of 2014. To apply, send a single PDF containing (1) a letter describing your research interests, (2) your C.V., and (3) contact information of three references to Dr. Richard Chandler ([email protected]).
