A Graduate Research Assistantship will be available at the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University. Funding is available for an MS/PhD research assistantship (beginning summer or fall 2009) to study soil carbon dynamics and ecosystem ecology. The project investigates soil carbon stabilization mechanisms impact the sensitivity of soil carbon turnover to temperature. The student will participate in collection and analysis of soil samples from several grassland and cultivated sites throughout North America, isolating and quantifying various pools of soil carbon, investigating biological control and response, and data interpretation, modeling, and reporting. In addition to a solid background in biology, chemistry, ecology, math, and soil science, experience with laboratory soil analyses, in particular soil fractionation procedures and isotopic analysis, is desirable. For more information go to http://www.nrel.colostate.edu/projects/agecosys/swarmII_abstract.pdf and read more about Reconciling predictions of kinetic theory with observations of decomposition responses to temperature: Biological, biochemical, and edaphic constraints.
Please Contact: Dr. Richard Conant (con...@nrel.colostate.edu; ph. 970-491-1919) or Dr. Eldor A. Paul (el...@nrel.colostate.edu; ph. 970-491-1987) at the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1499, U.S.A.
