PhD opportunity: Spatial ecology of coastal habitats using drone and satellite remote sensing (University of Virginia)
The Castorani Lab at the University of Virginia is recruiting
one
Ph
D
student to study
the spatial ecology and dynamics of coastal habitats using drone- and satellite-based remote sensing data, such as optical and multispectral imagery. 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 (https://www.vcrlter.virginia.edu/)
.
Field studies will focus on
seagrass meadows, oyster reefs,
salt marshes, and dune vegetation
within the
c
oastal lagoon
–barrier island system of Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Possibilities also exist for research on estuaries and
kelp forests in California. 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, environmental science, geography, computer science, or a related field.
Ideal
candidates
will have
FAA R
emote
Pilot Certification (“Part 107” license); experience flying small unmanned aircraft;
strong quantitative
skills
;
e
xperience
with the collection, processing, and analysis of remotely-sensed data; and knowledge of geospatial analyses using R, Matlab, Python, or ArcGIS.
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.