Ph.D. graduate assistantship available in population dynamics, ecology, and behavior of amphibians in a fire-dependent system. This position is suitable only for a doctoral student who is also interested in gaining experience in museum collections management and specimen-based teaching. Because the assistantship would require work on the Virginia Tech campus, and the field site is in Florida, there will be limited opportunity for field research. However, the candidate will have access to a five-year data set from a winter drift fence study of reticulated flatwoods salamanders (Ambystoma bishopi) at Eglin Air Force Base on the Florida panhandle and the opportunity to make short field visits (or add a summer field component) to collect additional data as the field work is ongoing. The focus would be on salamander demography but there may be opportunities to work on hydrology and habitat data sets as well. The assistantship covers tuition and stipend.
Qualifications: Candidates should have M.S. degree in Fisheries & Wildlife, Ecology, or a related field, have published in a peer-reviewed journal, have relevant field experience, and preferably experience with mark-recapture data sets and demographic analyses. Successful applicants usually have an undergraduate GPA above 3.3 and GREs above 50th percentile. (Students with excellent grades and GRE scores who could compete for internal fellowships will be preferred.) Experience with natural history museum collections a plus. Student must be comfortable working as part of a team with diverse goals and responsibilities. Anticipated Starting Date: Position may start in January 2015, summer 2015, or August 2015, but no later than August 2015. (Starting in January might allow some winter field work.) To apply: Applicants should submit a letter of interest and a c.v. (including undergraduate and M.S. grade point average and GRE scores and percentiles) as well as contact information for three references to Professor Haas. Promising candidates will be asked to submit an official application to the graduate school at Virginia Tech (http://www.grads.vt.edu/). Applications will be considered as they are received, so inquiries made before November 7 are more likely to receive serious consideration. Contact information: Dr. Carola A. Haas, Department of Fisheries & Wildlife Sciences, Mail Code 0321, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, [email protected], 1-540-231-9269. Please put “flatwoods salamander grad position” in subject line of emails. Carola A. Haas Professor, Wildlife Ecology Dept. of Fish & Wildlife Conservation 112 Cheatham Hall (MC 0321) 310 West Campus Drive, Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA 24061 [email protected] 540-231-9269 http://www.fishwild.vt.edu/faculty/haas.htm
