The Russo Lab (russolab.unl.edu) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is

seeking masters or PhD students interested in conducting research in the

following areas.=20

Plant-Soil Feedbacks =96 This project (crri.unl.edu/about-crri) investigates

interactions between grasses and agricultural crops with the soil microbial

community.  A variety of approaches (field, greenhouse, genomic, and

experimental) are being used to address questions ranging from identifying

patterns of soil and rhizosphere microbial diversity, to investigations of

mechanisms involved in plant-soil feedbacks, especially under stress.=20=20

Nebraska Forest Dynamics and Management  =96 This project involves

establishing permanent forest monitoring plots in Nebraskan forests as part

of the Smithsonian ForestGEO plot network (www.forestgeo.si.edu) in order to

build models that integrate vital rates and environmental drivers to

describe and forecast changes in forest composition and function and that

aid in developing adaptive management plans for forest conservation.

Functional Traits of Bornean Tree Species =96 This project involves

quantification of leaf, stem, and root functional traits of tree species in

Borneo at the Lambir ForestGEO plot (www.ctfs.si.edu/site/Lambir) to predict

tree growth and survival using tree physiological models and to scale up to

forest dynamics.

These projects involve multi-disciplinary collaborative teams and offer the

opportunity to gain skills in areas such as microbial ecology,

bioinformatics, genomics, geographic information systems, and modeling, in

addition to ecology.  Potential applicants should email Sabrina Russo

(srusso2@unl.edu) with a description of their research interests and

experience, and a resume summarizing previous coursework and listing any

publications.  See russolab.unl.edu/links and

biosci.unl.edu/prospective-graduate-students for information on how to apply.

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