Two-years of Research Assistantship funding plus funding for the first field season are available for a Ph.D. student to study island restoration and recovery in the Jones Lab http://www.bios.niu.edu/jones/lab/ at Northern Illinois University. The student is expected to seek extramural funding for research expenses during their remaining field seasons and to pursue external funding or a TAship to cover their remaining years' salary.
I am looking for a highly motivated, bright student, interested in joining the Biological Sciences graduate program at NIU. There is some latitude about research subject though the research should focus on ecosystem recovery following invasive vertebrate removal on New Zealand islands. The student will build on ongoing efforts to understand how different ecosystem variables (nutrient cycling, diversity, abundance) respond both to invasive species removal and active restoration of seabirds. Competitive candidates will have a Master's degree or at least one peer-reviewed publication, strong GRE scores and GPA, previous field experience, and strong letters of recommendation. Details of the graduate program and application process are available at http://www.bios.niu.edu/graduate_studies/. The department offers teaching assistantships that include 12 months of stipend support and tuition waiver. The departmental deadline for application materials is August 15, 2014. However, prospective students should contact me by June 1st to discuss research interests and relevant qualifications. Intended start date for this position is Spring 2015. Northern Illinois University is a 25,000-student research university situated an hour from downtown Chicago in DeKalb, Illinois, a diverse community of 50,000 with a low cost of living. Regional research resources include The Field Museum, Burpee Museum of Natural History, TNCs Nachusa Grasslands, Morton Arboretum, Fermilab, Argonne National Laboratory, NIUs Lorado Taft campus, and numerous local county forest preserves and state parks. Applicants should review the Jones Lab website to make sure their research interests are a good fit and email hjones -at- niu.edu the following to get the conversation started: 1. A cover letter that describes your research interests and your short- and long-term career goals and how pursuing a graduate degree in my lab will help you attain those goals. 2. An unofficial copy of your transcripts 3. A writing sample that demonstrates your ability to synthesize and evaluate complex information (e.g. a journal article, technical report, or paper from a class). 4. Your resume or CV summarizing your work and academic experience and with names, titles, email, and phone numbers of three professional references. 5. An unofficial report of your GRE scores
