PhD POSITION IN AFRICAN BAT DISEASE ECOLOGY

The newly established lab of Dr Kristian Forbes at the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, is searching for a graduate student in bat disease ecology. Fieldwork will be based in the Taita Hills, south-east Kenya. Situated between Tsavo East and West National Parks, this amazing region has remarkable bat species richness and habitat heterogeneity – ranging from cloud rainforest patches and savannah plains, to agricultural fields and small villages.

Research in the Forbes lab is diverse and multidisciplinary, including within-host dynamics such as immunity, infection spread within wildlife populations and across landscapes, and the impacts of disease on host fitness. The successful applicant will have flexibility in defining their project focus.

Applicants should have wide interests in biological sciences, including wildlife biology, zoonotic infections, and anthropogenic environmental changes. Previous experience is wildlife trapping and sampling and/or laboratory diagnostics will be highly regarded. The student will work within an international and multidisciplinary One Health-themed project. Key partners are based at the University of Nairobi, Maasai Mara University, and the University of Helsinki in Finland. The project will include international travel; an interest in learning about different cultures is important.

The successful applicant will be supported by a graduate teaching assistantship and opportunities may also be available for fellowships, such as DDF and DAF programs at U of A (https://graduate-and-international.uark.edu/graduate/costs-and-funding/doctoral-fellowships.php). The desired start time is fall, 2019, but is flexible. The student will be supervised by Dr Forbes (https://kristianforbes.wordpress.com/) and be part of the new EEOB program at U of A (https://eeob.uark.edu/). Fayetteville is located in a beautiful natural area amongst the Ozark Mountains, with a wide range of recreational activities in close proximity such as hiking, cycling, kayaking and fishing; it regularly ranks amongst top US cities to live (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fayetteville,_Arkansas).

For more information, please contact Dr Forbes at kmforbes@uark.edu. To apply, please send: 1) a cover letter of maximum one page outlining your research interests and career goals, 2) your CV and academic transcripts, and 3) contact information for three referees to the above email address. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and prompt submission is recommended.