Project Title: Understanding the role of resource pulses in ecosystem processes
A Ph.D. assistantship is available for a highly motivated student interested in disturbance ecology and wildlife conservation to join the lab of Dr. Marcus Lashley in the Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Department at Mississippi State University. The student will investigate how experimental and natural resource pulses affect wildlife and plant community dynamics indirectly by altering feral swine and white-tailed deer behavior. This research will span multiple systems across Mississippi with various types of resource pulses and primary and secondary consumer assemblages. Ongoing projects will give the candidate the opportunity to develop a dissertation related to experimentally- induced pulses of carrion, vegetation biomass, and vegetation quality, and natural resource pulses from plant mass seeding events. The student will gain a wide variety of skill sets related to plant and animal community sampling techniques and statistical approaches, and the student will have the opportunity to serve in a mentoring capacity to several M.S. students working on related experiments. Project duties include aiding in data collection and experimental design of ongoing projects and forming unique hypotheses and experiments for their own dissertation. Data collection in remote areas with harsh conditions will be required. The student will be expected to not only fulfill the requirements of degree completion but also to publish results in peer-reviewed journals. Competitive candidates will have the following qualifications: 1) completed a M.S. degree in Wildlife Biology, Plant Biology, Ecology, or a closely related discipline, 2) evidence of successful collaboration, and 3) related research experiences. Preference will be given to candidates with evidence of strong oral and written communication skills, strong quantitative skills, and a demonstrated publication record. To apply, please submit via email a cover letter outlining your interest in the project and highlighting relevant experiences, a C.V., and contact information for 3 references. Applying before the deadline is encouraged because a candidate may be selected before the due date. The last date to apply is June 15, 2016. Projected start date is August 16, 2016. Contact: Marcus Lashley marcus.lash...@msstate.edu
