Hello Everyone, I am looking for a PhD student to start in the Fall of 2019 to work at the Food-Energy-Water nexus in drylands. Municipalities and states – particularly those in the Southwestern United States –increasingly seek resilience strategies to manage expanding populations and demands for food and energy. At the same time, a changing climate threatens our historic reliance on dwindling sources of water and may reduce capacity for food and renewable energy production. For the last four years, we have been studying the potential for co-locating agriculture and photovoltaics – agrivoltaics – as an untapped opportunity to simultaneously increase food and energy production while reducing water use.
Our Research Group uses a combination of field measurements of carbon and water fluxes (plant ecophysiology) and environmental monitoring to describe the impacts of this co-location in terms of water use efficiency, changes in phenology, plant performance, impacts of solar panel performance, potential for up-scaling to larger installations, etc. Students with a background in carbon and water flux measurements, physical geography, ecohydrology, and / or urban gardening are encouraged to apply, but prior knowledge of plant ecophysiological techniques should not be a barrier for an interested student. We are a diverse group looking to use our research to make meaningful change in the world. You can learn more about this project, by checking out this portion of our website: https://www.barrongafford.org/agrivoltaics--pv-restoration.html The deadline for fall admission is January 5 for both domestic and international applicants: https://geography.arizona.edu/node/555 The position would have guaranteed funding through the first four years through TAships, and we are constantly seeking federal, private, and industry funding to extend our research. Our research group is committed to fostering an inclusive learning and working environment that embraces the diversity of experiences and interests represented in our communities and the broader world. All the best, Greg Greg Barron-Gafford Associate Professor and Associate Director School of Geography & Development; B2 Earthscience, Biosphere 2, College of Science; Adjunct Faculty in School of Natural Resources & the Environment University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 85721, USA website: http://www.barrongafford.org/
