Ph.D. RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIP IN LAND USE AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE I have 3 years of funding for a Ph.D. student in the Department of Geography, McGill University, in Montreal, Canada, starting in Sep 2009. The general area of research will be in understanding the environmental consequences of global land use and land cover change.
Land use changes have now attained global significance in terms of extent, intensity, and environmental consequences. Understanding the relationship between human activities, land use/cover changes, and the structure and functioning of the Earth system is therefore of vital importance. What is the current extent of anthropogenic modification of our planet? How do land use/cover changes alter water resources, biogeochemical cycles, and climate? What are the feedbacks in the human-environment relationships, and where are the thresholds and surprises? Are humans altering the Earth system in a way that will jeopardize our ability to continue deriving resources in the future? These are the types of question that are of my interest to my research program. My research has involved understanding the patterns of global agricultural land use/cover change over the last century and their environmental consequences using data analysis and synthesis, and Earth system models. For information, please go to http://www.geog.mcgill.ca/faculty/ramankutty/. Specific projects that the PhD student could work on include: a) Continued development of global ecosystem models to evaluate the tradeoffs between food production and environmental degradation; b) Understanding the role of fires, insects, and land use on Canadian carbon balance, and predicting the future of Canadian carbon sinks; c) Estimating carbon emissions from tropical deforestation, and implications for climate mitigation policies such as REDD; d) Food vs. fuels: The interlinkages between food production and climate mitigation through production of agro-fuels. Candidates across the broad spectrum of global environmental research disciplines may apply, but those with degrees in Environmental Studies, Geography, Ecology, or Atmospheric Sciences with an interest in global environmental change are ideally suited. The ideal candidate will have excellent quantitative and analytical skills, and prior experience working with global environmental data and Earth system models. Programming skills in Fortran would be highly desirable. Candidates should have strong communication (spoken & written) and interpersonal skills. Funding is guaranteed for 3 years. Minimum stipend will amount to $19,000 per year. If interested, please submit the following by email to navin.ramanku...@mcgill.ca: 1. Brief email message outlining research interests; 2. Curriculum vitae; 3. Copies of latest transcripts (unofficial copies is sufficient for now); 4. Names and contact address of 3 references; 5. Reprints of publications, if available. Please use the following subject line in your email: PhD APPLICATION Review of applications will begin upon receipt and continue until the position is filled. The deadline for Sept 2009 admissions to the Geography department at McGill University is Feb 1, 2009. See http://www.geog.mcgill.ca/ for more information about the Geography department, and http://www.mcgill.ca/ for more information on McGill University. Navin Ramankutty Assistant Professor in Geography and Earth System Science Tier II Canada Research Chair in Land Use and Land Cover Change McGill University
