Graduate Positions in Optimizing Land Management to Promote Nature Based Climate Solutions.
INSPIRE is an NSF-funded project focused on climate smart land management practices. The collaborative team is composed of natural scientists, social scientists, and economists at the University of Montana, University of Idaho and Salish Kootenai College.
Project:
Anthropogenic climate change has directly impacted human and ecological communities through drought and indirectly through disturbances, such as fire. Although ongoing climate change has undermined the resilience of these communities, harnessing the biogeochemical potential of these ecosystems forms a key part of future climate solutions. INSPIRE will investigate climate-smart practices that integrate forest and agricultural land management, while studying the ecological benefits, economic impacts, and sociological barriers to implementation. We are recruiting PhD and MSc students to focus on the ecosystem impacts portion of this project, while collaborating with our colleagues from other disciplines. Specifically, we are seeking students interested in integrating ecological measurements with traditional ecological knowledge to improve ecosystem models. The students will then work with the interdisciplinary INSPIRE team to evaluate integrated land management scenarios and their potential implementation.
Skills and Experience:
Ecosystem Research Experience: familiarity with field measurements and/or laboratory analyses.
Collaborative Project Experience: some background working with people from different backgrounds or disciplines.
Quantitative Analysis Experience: some exposure to computer programing and data analysis in R, Python, or Matlab.
Location:
PhD and MSc positions are available at University of Montana in Missoula or at Salish Kootenai College, Pablo Montana, USA. The Northern Rockies are among the most rapidly changing landscapes in response to climate change, making them an ideal setting for this research. Western MT is a fantastic place to live with excellent access to seasonal recreational opportunities and a wide array of cultural events.
Start Date: 2025
To apply please send: 1) CV, 2) contact information for 3 references, and 3) a 2-paragraph statement of research experience and interest (no longer than 1 page) to:
Ashley Ballantyne, University of Montana (ashley.ballantyne@umontana.edu)
Michael Durglo, (michael.durglo@cskt.org)