PhD opportunity: Biodiversity and community ecology of coastal marine ecosystems (University of Virginia)
The Castorani Lab at the University of Virginia is recruiting
one
Ph
D
student to study
the biodiversity and community ecology of shallow marine ecosystems in coastal Virginia. The s
tudent will be advised by
professor
Max Castorani (https://castorani.evsc.virginia.edu/)
, and
join UVA’s highly interdisciplinary Department of Environmental Sciences (http://www.evsc.virginia.edu/)
and collaborative
Virginia Coast Reserve Long-Term Ecological Research program
.
The student will undertake observational and experimental field studies of benthic invertebrate and fish assemblages in temperate coastal ecosystems
, as well as analyze existing long-term community data
. Focal study habitats include
seagrass meadows, oyster reefs,
and
salt marshes
within the
c
oastal lagoon
–barrier island system of Virginia’s Eastern Shore. The student will have opportunities to contribute to highly collaborative long-term studies in the Virginia Coast Reserve and Santa Barbara Coastal (http://sbc.lternet.edu/) LTER programs.
Although research in the Castorani Lab is primarily motivated by fundamental ecological questions, there are opportunities for applied research related to coastal habitat restoration (seagrass
, kelp, oysters
) and commercial aquaculture (oysters
,
clams).
At the time of enrollment, highly-qualified applicants will have an undergraduate or master’s degree in biology, ecology, fisheries, or a related field.
Ideal
candidates
will have
e
xperience in
field ecology, ideally
having carried out experiments with
in
marine or aquatic
ecosystems
; knowledge of the biology of marine organisms; strong quantitative
skills
; and data
analysis experience
using
R.
UVA has a highly interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences (http://www.evsc.virginia.edu/academics/graduate/), offering training and conducting research in ecology, geosciences, hydrology, and atmospheric sciences. Graduate students accepted into the program are typically supported through a mixture of teaching assistantships and research assistantships that
provide
a competitive
stipend
,
tuition,
and
health insurance
.
Those interested should send
(
1
) a brief description of their background, career goals, motivations for pursuing a graduate degree, research ideas, and why they are specifically interested in joining the Castorani Lab; (
2
) a CV with academic and professional experience (including GPA
);
(3
) contact information for 2–3 references; and (4) a writing sample.
The
application deadline is January 15, 201
9
for enrollment in Fall 201
9
, however
serious
applicants should express their interest as soon as possible.