A graduate research position at the MS or PhD level is available in the Molecular Microbial Ecology Lab at Kansas State University, to begin in Summer or Fall 2016. Projects are available in the following research areas: (1) Impact of aboveground disturbance and drought on microbial growth, community turnover and carbon cycling in soils with contrasting precipitation and management history. (2) Understanding feedbacks between nitrogen availability and soil microbial structure and function in native tallgrass prairie soils. Project specifics will be defined in collaboration with the selected student to incorporate individual interests and goals: opportunities include addressing these research areas in the context of grassland management, including grazing, fire, restoration and cultivation. For more information, go to http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~lzeglin/index.html.
Qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in biology, microbiology, environmental or soil science. Experience conducting independent research in ecology or molecular biology is preferred, and enthusiasm and productivity is essential! To apply, first send a short statement of research interests and a CV to Dr. Lydia Zeglin ([email protected]); we will discuss the full Graduate School application, which is due on December 15, 2015. Highly ranked applicants will be invited by the Division of Biology to visit the university in February 2016, and an offer with financial support will be made to the successful candidate later that spring. For more information on the full application go to http://www.k-state.edu/biology/grad/application.html. The Division of Biology at Kansas State University includes a diverse and interactive group of faculty and students. Within the Division, the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Section, Ecological Genomics Institute and Konza Prairie LTER offer collegial environments for students with interests in ecology and molecular biology. Local research facilities include the fabulous field experimental site at Konza Prairie Biological Station and the newly renovated molecular microbial laboratory. Manhattan, KS is a highly liveable college town in the rolling Flint Hills region, and graduate student stipends support a comfortable standard of living here.
