PhD position: Biodiversity and community ecology of coastal marine ecosystems (Univ. of Virginia)

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 
, 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
 the following items, as a single PDF, to 
Dr. 
Max Castorani (castorani@virginia.edu): 
(
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.