PhD POSITION IN SPATIAL ECOLOGY AND LANDSCAPE PLANNING
The Spatial Community Ecology Laboratory at Utah State University
(http://www.eddhammill.com/) is seeking PhD applicants to undertake research in the field of spatial ecology and conservation planning.
Current areas of interest include – 1) Can we inform the design of road, rail and pipelines to minimize their impacts on biodiveristy 2) Should conservation actions be undertaken in areas experiencing armed conflict.
3) How should local and global threats be incorporated into marine conservation planning 4) Balancing conservation and restoration to most effectively reach management goal. Candidates with other specific research interests are encouraged to suggest projects in their application.
Initial funding for tuition and salary will be through a Quinney PhD Scholarship, which covers the first two years. Candidates contact myself initially and then we apply together for the fellowship. Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for external fellowships through the NSF and other sources. Candidates will be provided extensive support with the application process. Starting salaries are $18,700 for a PhD. In addition, successful candidates will have the opportunity to work as teaching assistants to supplement their starting salaries.
The successful candidate will have access to a well-equipped laboratory, and be provided with access to a high performance desktop computer. The research group has strong ties to collaborators Canada and Australia and extended visits are encouraged. A knowledge of the statistical programming package R, Marxan, and/or ArcGIS be looked upon favorably.
Candidates with experience in spatial optimization and/or simulated annealing are especially encouraged.
Utah State University (http://www.usu.edu) is a Research I (Extensive
Doctoral) land-grant institution with a student body of over 24,000, 42 departments, 8 academic colleges, a school of Graduate Studies, and diverse research programs. The main campus is located in Logan, a community of 100,000 people. Logan is 85 miles north of Salt Lake City in scenic Cache Valley, a semi-rural mountain basin with nearby ski resorts, lakes, rivers, and mountains providing many recreational opportunities. The area has a low cost of living and provides a high quality of life. For more information on Logan see http://www.tourcachevalley.com.
Please contact Edd Hammill (edd.hammill@usu.edu, 435 265 5964) for more information or to submit application materials (CV, cover letter, any publications, details of their research interests). Initial review of applications will begin 30th Jan 2018.
Edd Hammill’s google scholar page –
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=THOE6q0AAAAJ&hl=en
Recent paper on conservation and armed conflict –
https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms11042