Dear Colleagues,
I hope you can help me distribute this ad to potential students. Thank
you advance for your help!
*Ph. D. Graduate Research Assistantship*
**
*Reproductive ecology of the invasive swede midge*
*Dr. Yolanda Chen, Dept. of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Vermont*
*Position availability: *January 1, 2015.
*Support: *Four years of support are available from the USDA Crop
Protection and Pest Management Program and the Department of Plant and
Soil Sciences.
*Position Summary*: The goal of this research project is to study the
reproductive ecology of swede midge, /Contarinia nasturtii/ (Diptera:
Cecidomyiidae) to identifythe constraints for developing a mating
pheromone mating disruption system. Swede midge is an invasive insect
pest that specializes on /Brassica/ crops, including cole and canola
crops. Swede midge has recently caused devastating losses in scattered
areas in New York and Vermont, especially among organic /Brassica/ growers.
Our specific goals are to: 1) Determine whether pheromone variants of
the natural stereoisomeric formulation vary in economy and efficacy in
disrupting swede midge mating, 2) Determine how temporal and spatial
factors within annual cropping systems may influence swede midge
reproductive behavior, and 3) Determine the factors that may influence
grower adoption of a midge PMD program. By developing an economical and
effective PMD system, our long term goals are to develop an effective
PMD system that helps to reduce crop losses due to midge damage and
reduce adverse effects to human health and pollinators.
*Requirements:*A Bachelor's or Master's degree in entomology, biology,
behavior, biochemistry, chemical ecology, or related field. Previous
experience with chemistry is an additional advantage. Excellent written
and oral communication skills. Applicants must meet the requirements of
the Graduate College at University of Vermont.
*Application Procedure*:
/Official applications/
Official applications should be submitted in an online application
portal through the Graduate College
(https://www.applyweb.com/apply/uvmg/menu.html).
*Deadline for the receipt of the official application is November 20. *
**
Interviews will be conducted through Skype or in person at the
Entomological Society of America Meeting, from November 16-19 in
Portland, OR.
/Interest Inquiries/
Email the following: 1) statement of interest in the position and major
research interests, 2) CV, 3) GRE scores, and 4) unofficial transcripts
directly to [email protected].
Lab Website: http://blog.uvm.edu/yfanslow/
--
Dr. Yolanda Chen
Assistant Professor
University of Vermont
Department of Plant and Soil Sciences
63 Carrigan Drive
Burlington, VT 05401
USA
Phone: +1 (802) 656-2627
Fax: +1 (802) 656-4656
http://www.uvm.edu/~yfanslow/Insect_Agroecology_Lab/Home.html
<http://www.uvm.edu/%7Eyfanslow/Insect_Agroecology_Lab/Home.html>
