We are recruiting a student for a Master’s project at the interface of animal behavior, community ecology, and wildlife conservation to begin in August 2018 or January 2019. The student will be co- advised by Dr. Brandon Barton (Department of Biological Sciences; www.bartonlab.net) and Dr. Steve Demarais (Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture; www.msudeerlab.com) at Mississippi State University.
Specifically, we seek a student that will study behavioral syndromes in white-tailed deer and their implications for plant and arthropod communities, especially those that vector human and wildlife diseases. The student’s thesis will capitalize on a 2 year dataset of ~50 GPS-collared deer to evaluate intraspecific variation in animal personalities (e.g., bold vs shy). Additionally, the student will contribute to a larger project on the effects of deer, deer behavior, and human-wildlife interactions on forest communities and disease transmission.
Ideal candidates will have experience and/or interests in ecology, wildlife management, and entomology.
Students with strong quantitative, statistical, or computing skills are especially encouraged to apply.
The position is contingent on funding and the applicant being accepted into the Department of Biological Sciences. The student salary will be funded via a 9-month Teaching Assistantship ($15,000) with additional summer funding to support thesis research ($4,500).
Review of applicants will begin IMMEDIATELY and continue until a suitable applicant is found. If interested, please do not hesitate to email me, (even if your application materials are not complete).To apply, please email the following documents to Dr. Brandon Barton (barton (at) biology (dot) msstate
(dot) edu): a brief description of your research interests and career goals, CV/resume, transcript (or a list of courses completed), GPA and GRE scores and contact information of at least two references.