Utah State is a wonderful place to work or study thanks to its proximity to desert, grassland, and alpine habitats, the huge volume of basic and applied research conducted here by university and agency scientists, a low cost of living, and quick access to world class outdoor recreation.
Field assistant, May-August 2009
Primary responsibility will be sampling plant species composition in research sites at the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station, in eastern Idaho. Additional field tasks will include seed collection and setting up and fencing experimental plots. Laboratory tasks will include data entry, sorting and weighing plant material, seed viability testing, and digitizing historical data into a GIS. There will also be an opportunity to develop an independent research project.
Successful applicants will be able to demonstrate a strong interest in plant ecology and the ability to work either independently or as part of a team. Experience with plant identification or sagebrush steppe vegetation is helpful but not required.
The work will begin in early May and will run through August. Salary will be $1200-1400/month.
To apply, please email me 1) a cover letter describing your qualifications and interest in plant ecology, 2) a CV or resume, and 3) contact information for three references.
Graduate students
I will be recruiting students interested in pursuing a Masters or PhD in plant ecology starting in 2010-2011. Most of my research focuses on 1) the influence of climate variability on plant population and community dynamics, and 2) plant-animal interactions, especially in arid and semiarid ecosystems. Students would have the freedom to develop their own research projects within these areas. I welcome applicants interested primarily in either field work or analysis and modeling of existing data, but I will encourage the use of both approaches. I will expect PhD applicants to pursue independent funding to complement the full stipend and research costs I will support.
Students working with me can receive degrees through the Dept. of Wildland Resources or the Ecology Center. Minimum requirements for entry into USU’s Graduate Program are a cumulative 3.0 GPA, and 1100 combined GRE scores. Most successful applicants greatly exceed these minimums. All interested candidates must apply to both USU’s School of Graduate Studies, and the S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney Ph.D. Fellowships Program.
To apply, please email me a CV, a one-page statement of research interests, and contact information for three references.
Post-doc
If you are a prospective post-doc with a quantitative background, and you are interested in using long-term datasets to address important questions in applied and basic ecology, please contact me directly.