Applicants are invited from one student (Ph.D. or M.S.) (start date January 2019) to join the lab of Dr. Donald Yee. The position will focus on aspects of the ecology of insects in El Yunque National Forest (YNF) in Puerto Rico at the Luquillo Long Term Ecological Research site (LTER). The position will be supported during the summer months in the YNF by a NSF funded LTER project involving changes in leaf litter insect communities across different land use types.
For student research projects, multiple areas are welcome, although students interested in aquatic insect communities that occur in the flowers of Heliconia caribaea are STRONGLY encouraged to apply. These systems support a diverse assemblage of aquatic insects and since Hurricane Maria in September 2017 the number of plants has increased dramatically. Areas of research using these systems could include metacommunities, community assembly, effects on species diversity, and species interactions. More info on the LTER can be found here: http://luq.lter.network/ Prior field experience and coursework in ecology, entomology, and statistics is preferred. More information about the Yee lab can be found at: https://aquaticinsectecology.org/ Full tuition scholarships for successful applicants are provided. Support is provided by teaching assistantships and research assistantships when available. Although the School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences at USM does not have a minimum set of scores to be eligible for entrance into the graduate program, potential applicants should expect to have a minimum GPA of 3.00 and have taken the GRE before application. For more information on admission follow this link: https://www.usm.edu/biological-sciences/graduate-program Deadline for Spring 2019 applications is 15 October 2018. The University of Southern Mississippi, a Carnegie Research High Activity institution with 15,000 students, is located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, near the Gulf Coast and has abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation. Hattiesburg is the medical, commercial and cultural center of southern Mississippi and is ranked in the top five small metropolitan areas in the United States. The School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences is comprised of about thirty faculty and offers baccalaureate, Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees. Over 60 graduate students currently pursue master’s and doctoral degrees. Further information about the school may be found at: https://www.usm.edu/biological-sciences To inquire, submit (via e-mail) a cover letter with a brief (~ one page) review of your research experience + interests and goals and a CV to: [email protected] Donald A. Yee, Ph.D. Associate Professor School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences University of Southern Mississippi
