PhD Assistantship – Landowners’ Willingness to Engage in Sustainable Bioenergy Production
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Pienaar, Assistant Professor – Environmental Economics & Human Dimensions of Wildlife Location: University of Florida Description I am recruiting a PhD student to conduct research on private landowners’ willingness to engage in sustainable bioenergy production practices in the southeastern United States. This research forms part of a larger USDA-funded project to determine how bioenergy production in the southeastern United States can be coupled with the protection of ecosystem services (see page 3 for an overview of the project). The student will conduct research into: 1. how private landowners value ecosystem services provided by timberlands, and 2. which bioenergy production practices they are willing to adopt to secure both ecosystem services and bioenergy production. This research will be used to formulate policy recommendations and to design extension/outreach programs to educate private timberland owners on how to better manage their lands to secure ecosystem services. Further details about the project are available by writing to Dr. Pienaar. The student will be expected to: 1. design and administer surveys to private timberland owners in Florida, Georgia and Alabama; 2. design and implement surveys to individuals who hunt on timberlands in the southeastern United States; 3. code, clean and analyze all data collected; 4. write reports and journal publications that document these research findings; 5. present results at both academic conferences and extension meetings; 6. assist in writing grant reports; 7. generate extension and outreach materials for private landowners, government agencies, and landowners; and 8. assist in other tasks related to this research – as needed. As part of this appointment, the successful candidate will work as a teaching assistant for one semester each year. The assistantship will commence in Fall 2017. The successful candidate will be provided with four years of tuition (18 credit hours of coursework in Fall and Spring semesters). The successful applicant will be paid a stipend of $20,024/year for 4 years, and will be provided with health care. The student will work as part of a larger research team that includes landscape ecologists, extension specialists, and experts in GIS models and mapping. This research project provides an opportunity to be part of an interdisciplinary research team at the University of Florida. Qualifications: Preference will be given to applicants with a Master’s degree, although students with a Bachelor’s degree will be considered. Preference will be given to applicants with training in social sciences, survey design and statistics. In order to be considered for this position, the following application materials must be submitted to Dr. Pienaar (efpien...@ufl.edu): 1. A letter of interest (1 page maximum) 2. Undergraduate and graduate transcripts 3. GRE scores 4. A curriculum vitae 5. An example of your writing 6. Names of 3 individuals who will provide you with references The review of applications will commence on April 24, 2017.
