The Humphries Lab is seeking a M.S. student interested in studying the intersection of ecology and socioeconomic wellbeing. We have a NSF-funded project focused on Narragansett Bay (RI) and developing new approaches to assess, predict, and respond to the effects of climate change on coastal ecosystems. The student will focus on fisheries and use models to better understand the feedbacks between changing fish communities, catch, and livelihood. Overall, this will allow scientists to simulate different management strategies and scenarios for Narragansett Bay (and Rhode Island Sound) and provide guidance to managers and policy-makers.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU? Become an expert in ecosystem modeling. This project will enhance your quantitative skills and provide you with experience in ecosystem modeling. You will learn how to work with and analyze physical, biological, and geophysical data, as well as social data on user preferences and cost. Develop links with external organizations. You will regularly interact with an interdisciplinary team of scientists that have expertise in the natural and social sciences, including those from URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography as well as US EPA’s Atlantic Ecology Division, NOAA Marine Fisheries Service, and RI Dept of Environmental Management. You will be well-positioned to enter the job market and have a diverse and unique skillset attractive to industry, management entities, non-governmental organizations, or academia. Join an exciting research environment. The Humphries Lab is an energetic young research group and you will benefit from the large and multidisciplinary College of Environment and Life Sciences at the University of Rhode Island. Your MS degree will be carried out within the interdisciplinary Biological and Environmental Sciences program (i.e., Ecology and Ecosystem Science specialization). WHO SHOULD APPLY We are seeking applications from recent B.S. graduates who have a strong quantitative background in the Environmental, Social Sciences, or Computer Programming. Of particular importance for applicants is demonstrable ability to complete research tasks independently and be fluent in statistical software such as R and/or MatLab. Ability to link theory to practical work and modeling will be important, and therefore, relevant research and quantitative experience will be important. DETAILS Funding: Support for the MS student will be provided through a combination of Research and Teaching Assistantships. Tuition is also covered. The Assistantship stipend is approximately $26,000 per year for two years ($19k for the academic year and $7k for summer), including health benefits. Application Deadline: September 28, 2018 or until filled Start Date: January 2019 (or possibly September 2019) For further information or informal discussion about the position, please send an email to Drs. Austin Humphries ([email protected]) and Kelvin Gorospe ([email protected]). See other research and people within the Humphries Lab at http://ahumphrieslab.com. Also, for more information on URI’s Biological and Environmental Sciences Graduate Program, see https://web.uri.edu/cels-gradprograms/bes/. APPLICATION PROCESS Please send a cover letter and CV as a single PDF document (cover letter first, then CV) to Drs. Austin Humphries ([email protected]) and Kelvin Gorospe ([email protected]) with “SES modeling MS application” in the Subject line.
