A Ph.D. research assistantship is available at Mississippi State University (see the announcement below for details). Please send inquiries to Dr. Brian Dorr @brian.s.d...@aphis.usda.gov.
Sorry for cross posting. Guiming Wang ------------------------------------------------------- Title: Ph.D. research assistantship, response of fish-eating birds to aquaculture. Agency: USDA\WS National Wildlife Research Center & Mississippi State University Job Category: Graduate Assistantships Website: http://www.cfr.msstate.edu/wildlife/people/ Salary: A $23,500 stipend and payment of tuition and health insurance. The student is responsible for certain fees. Start Date: Fall 2014 or Spring 2015 Last Date to Apply: Until a suitable candidate is found Description: A temporally and spatially variable food resource may be responsible for changes in abundance, distribution, movement behavior, and general foraging ecology of fish-eating birds at several spatial scales in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. In collaboration with the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Aquaculture at Mississippi State University and the USDA\WS National Wildlife Research Center, a 4-year Ph.D. research assistantship is available to study the spatio-temporal dynamics of a piscivorous bird, the Double-Crested Cormorant, related to the availability of food resources. The Ph.D. student is expected to spend 1-3 days a week over a 6-12 month period in the field conducting aerial and ground surveys of birds in the Delta region. The student will collect distribution and abundance data of bird species on aquaculture facilities and compare those to historical information from long-term data sets. The student will analyze and model data for various environmental and industry changes on foraging ecology of fish-eating birds including: climate effects, resource use and availability, and changes in industry demographics and practices. The student will be in residence at the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Aquaculture in Starkville, MS for their degree program, excluding time spent in the field. Qualifications: Students should have a M.S. degree in wildlife ecology, ecology, zoology, or other related disciplines. We are seeking students with a strong work ethic, excellent verbal and written communication skills, excellent quantitative and statistical skills (or an interest in cultivating those skills), the ability to work independently and as a productive member of a research team, and the ability to perform aerial survey work and field work in challenging environments as required. Student must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and competitive GRE scores. Initial screening of applicants will be conducted prior to official submission of applications to MSU for admittance to the graduate program. Thus, by email, please provide a statement of interest, a current C.V., copies of your most recent GRE scores, and a copy of your transcripts by email to Dr. Brian Dorr (address below) for initial consideration. If selected to compete for this assistantship, you will be encouraged to apply to the appropriate MSU School and a minimum of three letters of reference will be required. Contact: Dr. Brian Dorr Research Wildlife Biologist USDA/WS/National Wildlife Research Center P.O. Box 6099 MS State University, MS 39762 Phone 662-325-8216 brian.s.d...@aphis.usda.gov
