The Spatial Community Ecology Laboratory at Utah State University is seeking M.Sc applicants to undertake research in the field of freshwater community ecology. Half of the project will specifically address how pesticides affect the freshwater communities housed in bromeliad ecosystems. Field work for the project will take place in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, and will require extended stays (greater than 1 month) under somewhat basic conditions (cold running water, solar electricity). For the second component of the project, candidates are encouraged to pursue their own research questions relating to community ecology. The student’s ideas will then be developed in conjunction with the supervisory team.
The successful candidate will have access to a well-equipped laboratory, and Utah State University’s nearby outdoor Aquatic Research Facility that houses mesocosms and experimental ponds. In addition to the Costa Rican field site, the research group has strong ties to research stations in Brazil, Canada and Australia that will be available for field projects. A knowledge of the statistical programming package R, and/or ArcGIS, and conversational ability in Spanish will be looked upon favorably. Candidates should be reasonably physically fit, and be able to carry a 40lb backpack 1 mile. Utah State University (http://www.usu.edu) is a Research I (Extensive Doctoral) land-grant institution with a student body of over 24,000, 42 departments, 8 academic colleges, a school of Graduate Studies, and diverse research programs. The main campus is located in Logan, a community of 100,000 people. Logan is 85 miles north of Salt Lake City in scenic Cache Valley, a semi-rural mountain basin with nearby ski resorts, lakes, rivers, and mountains providing many recreational opportunities. The area has a low cost of living and provides a very high quality of life. For more information on Logan see http://www.tourcachevalley.com. Initial funding for tuition and salary has been secured. Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for external fellowships through the NSF and other sources, and internal fellowships at Utah State (http://rgs.usu.edu/graduateschool/htm/finances/fellowships, and http://rgs.usu.edu/graduateschool/finances/funding-available-to- graduate-students). Candidates will be provided extensive support with the application process. Starting salaries are $18,000 for a Masters student, and $20,000 for a PhD. Please contact Edd Hammill (edd_hammill(at)hotmail(dot)com or edd.hammmill(at)usu(dot)edu, phone 435 265 5964) for more information or to submit application materials (CV, cover letter, any publications, details of their research interests). Initial review of applications will begin May 15th 2016. Edd Hammill’s google scholar page - https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=THOE6q0AAAAJ&hl=en
