PhD Research Assistantship in carnivore ecology (20 hours per week)

We are looking for a motivated PhD applicant with strong quantitative

skills to join the Conservation Ecology Lab in the Department of

Biological Sciences at Ohio University starting in Fall 2018. This is a

graduate research assistantship position under the supervision of Dr.

Viorel Popescu. Our lab is working with the Ohio Department of Natural

Resources on a project aimed at understanding the status of Ohio=92s

recovering bobcat population.

Applicants must be eligible for unconditional admission to the Ph.D.

program in Biological Sciences, and have some familiarity with wildlife

data hierarchical modeling methods (occupancy, capture-recapture) and

spatial ecology, and experience with non-invasive field methods (camera

trapping, hair and scat sampling). Research opportunities include

analysis of existing bobcat datasets gathered by Ohio DNR, and

collection of new non-invasive data on Ohio=92s bobcats and carnivore

community. The end goal will be to develop a population model to inform

bobcat management and conservation in Ohio. There is potential to

supplement the Ohio bobcat work with field research on Eurasian lynx

ecology in the Romanian Carpathians (in collaboration with Romanian and

Slovenian researchers; more information at:

https://lifeslovenija.si/en/preventing-the-extinction-of-the-dinaric-se-

alpine-lynx-population-through-reinforcement-and-long-term-

conservation/). The applicant will have the opportunity to develop their

own research goals related to the broader projects.

The research assistantship is funded for up to 3 years through an Ohio

DNR grant. Funding includes a stipend and tuition waiver. Additional

funding after the grant ends is available through a teaching

assistantship from the Department of Biological Sciences.

Applications are due in early January 2018, but I encourage interested

students to contact me well before this date. Please send an email to

popescu@ohio.edu, including a brief statement that describes your

research interests and why you are interested in graduate school, and

attach your CV and an unofficial transcript.

Please see the lab website for more information:

http://vioreldpopescu.com and find information about applying to Ohio

University Biological Sciences here:

https://www.ohio.edu/cas/biosci/grad/bios-grad-admissions.cfm.

Applicants must have completed a U.S. bachelor=92s degree or its

equivalent by August 25, 2017; applicants who already hold a MSc degree

are preferred. Applicants who are not native English language speakers

must submit evidence of English proficiency as outlined in the Graduate

Catalog, www.ohio.edu/graduate/catalog.

Ohio University does not discriminate against any person in employment

or educational opportunities because of race, color, religion, age,

ethnicity, national origin, national ancestry, sex, pregnancy, gender,

gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, military service or

veteran status, mental or physical disability, or genetic information.

Ohio University is an equal access/equal opportunity affirmative action

university.

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