Dear Colleagues,
Please circulate this opportunity.
Thanks
Opportunities for Graduate Research and Training:
Climate Change Impacts on Arctic Land and Water Surface Processes
Several exciting and challenging opportunities are available for
graduate and post-doctoral training in a new suite of collaborative
projects funded by the NSF Arctic System Science program, on Spatial
and Temporal Influences of Thermokarst Failures on Surface Processes
in Arctic Landscapes. The various components of this collaborative
effort focus on how a widespread and long-term increase in the
incidence of thermokarst failures impacts the structure and function
of arctic landscapes. Specific components focus on the composition of
vegetation, the distribution and processing of soil nutrients, and
exports of sediments and nutrients to stream and lake ecosystems. The
projects are designed to address how changing land surface processes
and formation of thermokarst failures feedback to the climate system
through energy, albedo, water, and trace gas exchange. Additional
information about this program of research can be found at http://thermokarst.psu.edu
.
We seek motivated graduate students and post-doctoral fellows who have
excellent quantitative and communication skills. Successful candidates
for these positions will be able to work well independently and as a
part of a larger, diverse team of scientists and fellow students. The
collaborative research projects entail field research at remote sites
in the arctic – the western Brooks Range and the North Slope of Alaska
– under conditions that can be physically challenging. Participants in
this project will be integrally involved in incorporating their
research into several education and outreach activities as part of
this project. Professional mentoring opportunities exist within the
group and through the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists
(APECS). The partners in this collaborative effort seek diversity
within the group and strongly encourage applications from women and
people from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.
The following specific graduate and post-doctoral opportunities are
currently available:
Mechanisms of thermokarst Failure: A graduate student position is
available at Pennsylvania State University to work on a research
project that is focused on localized permafrost degradation that
results in development of thermokarst failure features. The
successful candidate will investigate the temporal and spatial
variability in surface energy and hydrological conditions on
hillslopes that promote formation of thermokarst failures. For
addition information please contact Dr. Michael Gooseff at
[EMAIL PROTECTED] or 814-867-0044.
Soil carbon and trace gas dynamics: A graduate student position is
available at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to study carbon and
nutrient cycling, and trace gas emissions from thermokarst features in
Arctic Alaska. Preference will be given for a Ph.D. student, although
M.S. applicants will be considered. Please contact Dr. Jeremy (Jay)
Jones in the Institute of Arctic Biology and Department of Biology and
Wildlife at the University of Alaska Fairbanks at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or
907-474-7972.
Plant community dynamics: MS and PhD student assistantships are
available at the University of Florida, Department of Biology, to
study the effects of climate change on arctic ecosystems. The project
will focus on the consequences of thermokarst--catastrophic ground
subsidence due to thaw of permanently frozen soil--for plant
communities and ecosystem processes such as productivity and nutrient
cycling. This position will be located at the University of Florida in
Gainesville, FL, during the winter and will require extensive field
work in arctic Alaska during the summer. The candidate student has
the choice of entering through either a Botany (http://web.botany.ufl.edu/
) or Interdisciplinary Ecology (http://snre.ufl.edu/) degree program.
Please contact Dr. Michelle Mack ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) for more information.
Impacts on stream ecosystems: An opportunity is available at The
Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the
University of Vermont, to study how sediment and nutrient export from
thermokarst failures affect stream ecosystem communities and
dynamics. Preference will be given to PhD students, but well-prepared
and experienced MS students will be considered. For additional
information please contact Dr. Breck Bowden at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or
802-656-2513 and see http://www.uvm.edu/~wbowden).
Impacts on lake ecosystems: An opportunity exists for a Ph.D. or
Masters student to explore how thermokarst failures affect lake
ecosystems. Fully funded 5-yr program for Ph.D. students (details at http://www.eeb.lsa.umich.edu/eeb/graduates/index.html)
. Please contact Dr. George Kling at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for more
information..
Geomorphic processes: An opportunity exists at Idaho State University
for an MSc or PhD student interested in arctic river processes
including sediment transport, bed and bank stability and network
response to changes in the volume and timing of water and sediment
delivery to channels. Applicants with strengths in field observation,
computational and mapping tools (Matlab, GIS, GPS, Total Station
etc.), river processes and numerical modeling are especially
encouraged to apply. Please contact Dr. Benjamin Crosby at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
or 208-282-2949 for further details and see http://geology.isu.edu/~crosbenj
.
Simulation of long-term landscape dynamics: A position is available
at The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the
University of Vermont to further develop existing models of long-term
landscape change to incorporate the influences of thermokarst
failures. This position may be filled at the Post-Doctoral level or
at the PhD level. A firm grasp of mathematical representations of
complex systems is essential and some background in programming and
systems modeling is expected, though the experience could be in areas
different from ecosystem or landscape ecology. The successful
candidate will be housed at the University of Vermont but will
collaborate closely with Dr. Ed Rastetter at the Ecosystems Center,
Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. Please contact Dr. Ed
Rastetter at [EMAIL PROTECTED] (508-289-7483) or Dr. Breck Bowden at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
(802-656-2513) for further details.
Human community dynamics: Funding is available to support an MS
student at the University of Alaska – Fairbanks to study climate
change effects on rural villages of Alaska, with a particular focus on
the implications of permafrost melting. The research will require
spending considerable time in villages and using qualitative and
quantitative methods to examine the social-ecological dynamics. For
more information contact Dr. Gary Kofinas at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The partners in this collaborative effort are Equal Opportunity/
Affirmative Action Employers.
Applications from women and people from diverse racial, ethnic, and
cultural backgrounds
are encouraged.
"Saving the world, one email at a time"
- - -
Dr. Jenny Baeseman
Director - Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS)
Hydrologic Sciences Graduate Program Coordinator
Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research
University of Colorado
1560 30th Street, Campus Box 450
Boulder, CO 80303 USA
Office: 303-735-6154
Mobile: 907-687-5168
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
skype: jbaeseman
and
Affiliate Assistant Research Professor
International Arctic Research Center
University of Alaska - Fairbanks
930 Koyukuk Drive
PO Box 757340
Fairbanks, AK 99775-7340
