PhD opportunity – Role of stress physiology in amphibian population declines
PhD opportunity consists of Teaching assistantship plus Research assistantship funding for research on conservation, stress physiology, and behavior on population declines in amphibians. A PhD position is available in Dr. Caitlin Gabor’s lab in the Department of Biology at Texas State University to work in collaboration with Dr. Susan Walls at USGS in association with the southeastern region of the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI). Applications are being sought from students with grit and optimism that wish to pursue a Doctoral degree associated with Amphibian conservation. Students should have both curiosity and zest about drivers of population declines in amphibians. We have two semesters of RA funding for a student to use an integrative approach to study the role of physiological stress in amphibian population declines. This research will be performed in Gainesville or nearby in collaboration with Dr. Walls. Funding for subsequent years will be in the form of teaching assistantships from Texas State University. This research will be a jumping-off point for additional research in areas of interest to the selected student in collaboration with Dr. Walls and Dr. Gabor. You can read more about work in the Gabor lab here http://gabor.wp.txstate.edu/ and Walls group at USGS here: https://profile.usgs.gov/swalls The Department of Biology offers a strong environment for training students in conservation and evolutionary ecology. The Doctoral program in Aquatic resources is flexible in terms of coursework and research topics http://www.bio.txstate.edu/Graduate-Programs/Ph-D--Aquatic-Resources.html. Qualifications: Preference will be given to a student with excellent verbal and written communication skills, knowledge of amphibian ecology and the ability to perform fieldwork. A prior Masters degree is preferred because this work will require traveling, independence and the ability set-up a large scale experiments. The student needs to be willing to live in Florida part time during the beginning of their degree program. Application: Interested students should send an email with a statement of interest that includes a summary of why you are interested in working on this project, as well broadly discussing your research interests. Please include a copy of your CV, relevant coursework, GRE, and any other relevant experience to Caitlin Gabor by email (gabor at txstate.edu) and Susan Walls (swalls at usgs.gov). Please use the subject line “Amphibian stress PhD” Reference letters for top candidates will be solicited at a later date. Applications will be reviewed as they come in. Please apply by Dec. 1. The successful candidate will start in the fall (or summer) 2015. Upon acceptance from Dr. Gabor and Walls, a formal application to TSU and the Biology Department is due by January 15 for entry by the fall semester.
