Please post MS and PhD positions in Plant Ecology at the University of Mississippi
The Brewer Lab at the University of Mississippi is seeking a PhD student and a Masters student to conduct research related to plant species coexistence in coastal plain ecosystems in Mississippi (e.g., wet and mesic pine savannas, oak woodlands, and pine-oak woodlands). The North American Coastal Plain is recognized as a Global Biodiversity Hotspot. The research in hyperdiverse pine savannas involves understanding intraspecific and interspecific competition. Specific projects potentially include (but are not limited to) understanding competition between carnivorous and non-carnivorous plants and how flowering that is stimulated by fire at different times of the year affects plant and pollinator species diversity. The research in oak and pine-oak woodlands in northern Mississippi potentially includes examining competitive interactions between native and non-native plant species (in particular, Microstegium vimineum) in response to attempts at ecological restoration (i.e., implementation of fire and canopy gaps) and relevance to wildlife habitat management. The student will be based at the University of Mississippi in the Department of Biology and will work in the laboratory of Steve Brewer, but there will be opportunities to interact with other ecologists and evolutionary biologists at Ole Miss and in natural resource agencies. I am seeking motivated students with strong academic records who are willing to do challenging field work along the Mississippi Gulf Coast (Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Desoto National Forest) or in the northern hills of Mississippi (Strawberry Plains Audubon Center, Tallahatchie Experimental Forest). Familiarity with field ecological methods and plant identification is required, as is a basic understanding of ecology, evolutionary biology and statistics. The greater the familiarity the student has with statistics and ecological theory, the better. In addition, good scientific writing skills are an absolute must. Each student must request and will be supported by a teaching assistantship through the Department of Biology at Ole Miss with an opportunity to work as a research assistant as funding becomes available through the Brewer lab. Students will also be expected to apply for their own research funding (e.g., through Sigma Xi, Garden Club of America, etc.). Funding for each student is secure through graduation contingent upon satisfactory progress towards the degree. The current 9-month stipends for Teaching Assistants are $20,000 for students in the M.S. program and $22,000 for students in the Ph.D. program. Students with assistantships also receive a tuition waiver (covering both in-state and out-of-state tuition) and subsidized health insurance https://gradschool.olemiss.edu/current-students/student-health-insurance/ Students may also compete for summer research stipends. Applicants from underrepresented groups and/or with strong academic records could qualify for supplemental fellowships through the Graduate School https://gradschool.olemiss.edu/prospective-students/financial-aid-information/ The Department of Biology at Ole Miss consists of 21 research faculty and 14 instructional faculty, and educates 40 graduate students and over 800 undergraduate biology majors. The University of Mississippi is located in Oxford, Mississippi, one of the top college towns in the U.S., and a community known for outstanding educational and cultural opportunities. Interested individuals should send a CV and both GPA and GRE scores to: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> If Dr. Brewer encourages the student to pursue graduate study in his lab, the application procedure can be found at https://biology.olemiss.edu/programs/graduate/application-procedure/ Interested individuals are also encouraged to view the following web sites: Brewer’s Web Page: http://home.olemiss.edu/~jbrewer/ Research Areas in the Department of Biology: https://biology.olemiss.edu/research/ The Graduate School: https://gradschool.olemiss.edu/ Stephen Brewer [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Professor Department of Biology PO Box 1848 University of Mississippi University, Mississippi 38677-1848 Brewer web page - http://home.olemiss.edu/~jbrewer/ FAX - 662-915-5144 Phone - 662-202-5877
