We are looking for an enthusiastic, determined, and self-starting Ph.D.

student to work on a project involving Black Rails at St. Johns National

Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Field components of the project will involve

performing population surveys and radiotracking adults to assess survival

and productivity. Modeling components will include estimation of Black Rail

vital rates, population viability modeling, and assessment of adequacy of

current survey methods for estimating Black Rail abundance and occupancy.

The project will primarily be based at the St. Johns NWR near Titusville,

FL, but the student will be required to spend time in other Gulf Coast

refuges and in Athens for coursework and dissertation writing. The student

will be co-advised by Dr. Robert Cooper (Professor, Warnell School of

Forestry and Natural Resources) and Dr. Clint Moore (Assistant Leader,

Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit) and possibly Dr. Adam

Smith (US Fish and Wildlife Service ecologist).Candidates should

possess a Master=E2=80=99s

degree conferred by January 1, 2018 in wildlife management, ecology, or a

related discipline. The candidate must be able to work under challenging

field conditions that include wet marshes, hot temperatures, humidity, etc.

Also, the candidate must have a working knowledge of the programming

language R, plus the capacity to learn quantitative techniques such as

survival analysis and movement models, and programming in formats such as

Python and Matlab. As this project will involve significant

hardware/software development, preference will be given to applicants with

a familiarity with electronics such as circuit board assembly and

customization. The student should also be personable and a team player. To

apply, send cover letter, CV, GRE scores, and unofficial transcripts

to Dr. Robert

Cooper (bcooper AT uga.edu; 706-542-6066). Please send a list of at least 3

references to contact as well.

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