Funding is available for a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) at either the MSc or PhD level in the Range Science Program at North Dakota State University. The GRA will study spatial-temporal patterns of forage quality and livestock use at the Central Grassland Research Extension Center near Streeter, North Dakota, using forage quality data and GPS collars to study livestock behavior under grazing management schemes. The primary mentor will be Dr. Devan McGranahan (devan.mcgranahan@ndsu.edu), although the GRA will work closely with Dr. Kevin Sedivec and other researchers at CGREC and other faculty and graduate students on the NDSU main campus in Fargo.

The project will involve both field and lab components. In the field, the GRA will clip vegetation and measure vegetation structure. In the lab, the GRA will prepare and analyze forage samples with Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR), and build, maintain, and program DIY, Arduino-based GPS units. The GRA must either be already familiar with soldering and programming in C++ and the R statistical environment, or be willing to gain proficiency in these skills quickly.

Ideally the GRA will be able to move to Fargo, North Dakota to enroll at NDSU by early January 2019 for the spring semester, ahead of the summer field season. Outstanding candidates unable to start until May 2019 will also be considered. Compensation includes a full 12-month stipend and tuition waiver.

More information about my research program, generally, and this specific position are available on my faculty website: https://www.ndsu.edu/range/faculty_and_staff/devan_mcgranahan/