Utah State University seeks a graduate student in forest demography. The successful candidate will work with Jim Lutz and his colleagues to examine tree neighborhood, community, pathogen, and climatic correlates of tree recruitment, growth, and mortality. The overall project is funded under an NSF Dimensions of Biodiversity grant examining the effects of oomycetes on forest plants. The successful candidate will work with tree demographic data and data on oomycete diversity, distribution, and pathogenicity, and will collaborate with the oomycete genetic team to examine the effect of oomycetes on forest composition and structure.
This is a chance for a student to work with one of the finest forest demographic data sets in the world. The Wind River Forest Dynamics Plot (wfdp.org), a 25.6 ha permanent plot affiliated with the Smithsonian ForestGEO program (forestgeo.si.edu), is the study site for this research. In this old-growth (525 yr) Douglas-fir/western hemlock forest, all stems ≥1 cm dbh have been identified, tagged, and mapped to a high degree of spatial accuracy. The plot was established in 2010-2011, and since that time, annual surveys of mortality (including contributing factors) and recruitment have taken place. A recensus in 2016 and continuing mortality and recruitment surveys complete the demographic data. Woody debris maps, dendrometer data, atmospheric flux data, soil properties, and LiDAR data increase our ability to examine drivers of demography. The combination of a large number of trees (30,973) and snags (1,966) in a spatially contiguous block and annual mortality data by cause is unique. In addition to his or her dissertation work, the successful candidate will participate in a variety of other research in other Smithsonian-affiliated Big Plots leading to co-authorships. Requirements: A strong quantitative background, as demonstrated by courses taken, programming skills, and GRE scores, is required. A well rounded educational and field background in plant pathology, entomology, taxonomy, and disturbance ecology is desired. Exceptional candidates with a BA/BS and relevant experience will be considered, but an MS is preferred. The position will begin in summer 2016 with field work, with the first semester at USU being autumn of 2016. This position has four years of RA funding (to be finalized by 1/2016). The successful candidate will be expected to work on an academic schedule (eleven months of work per year, with time off primarily scheduled during academic breaks). The stipend is $1,667 per month, on a twelve month basis (plus tuition & fees waiver and health insurance). This level of funding goes particularly far in Logan, a mountain town in northern Utah. Apply using the USU on-line system. Applications must be complete (including receipt of references) by December 31, 2015. To begin a dialog, please send, in a single PDF document, a cover letter, CV, unofficial transcripts, GRE scores, and examples of publications or posters to james.l...@usu.edu. Prior to inquiring, please refer to jamesalutz.com and westernforestinitiative.org.
