Seeking qualified applicants for a graduate assistantship at the Ph.D. level at Virginia Tech in the lab of Bryan L. Brown in the Department of Biological Sciences. Preferred starting date is Summer 2017, but Fall 2017 or even Spring 2018 could be negotiable.
In general, the Brown lab (https://mudbuglab.wordpress.com/)focuses on community ecology in aquatic systems. Operationally, the lab emphasizes the intersection between theory and empiricism, primarily by testing broad ecological concepts using observation, experiment and, to a lesser degree, modeling. Themes in the lab include metacommunity ecology, community assembly, and the ecology of symbiosis. The Brown lab is also a member of the longstanding Virginia Tech Stream Team (http://www.research.biol.vt.edu/ERG_webpage/VT_ST_ERG.html), a group of 8 labs in Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech that share common themes in community and ecosystem ecology, and a focus on aquatic systems. Specifically, the graduate assistantship will be supported by a recently-funded NSF project on metacommunity stability in river networks. The new project builds on prior work from the Brown lab, primarily in collaboration with Chris Swan (UMBC), and brings in the skills and experience of new collaborators Kurt Anderson (UC-Riverside) and Eric Sokol (Unv. Colorado). The project will have several diverse empirical facets that include field observational studies, field experimentation and meta-analysis using existing datasets. We will also employ a novel modeling component that will combine network modeling with metacommunity simulation modeling to generate testable hypotheses regarding the effects of network structure on stability in metacommunities. The successful student will be expected to not only engage in research included in the funded project (especially the field component for which the Brown lab is specifically responsible), but also to develop their own research focus under the general thematic umbrella of the project. This focus can include or combine any number of the project’s elements: fieldwork, experimentation, modeling, meta-analysis. Ultimately applicants will need to apply to the graduate program in the Department of Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech. However, I STRONGLY urge you to contact me directly via email (stone...@vt.edu), indicating your intention to apply. In that first message please include the following: 1) an brief introduction; 2) an academic CV; 3) GRE scores if they are currently available; 4) a description of your career goals and how you feel working on this project will further those ambitions. 1 and 4 can be included together in an email if you wish. As fair warning, I will give strong preference to students who have either completed a Masters degree, or who have very significant prior research experience that has resulted in publication. My goal is to bring the leading candidate to visit campus during our annual Research Day and Recruiting weekend February 4th, so if you are seriously interested, I would urge expediency. Of course, if you have questions, feel free to contact me directly at stone...@vt.edu. And again the lab website is https://mudbuglab.wordpress.com/ for your additional information. I’ll look forward to hearing from you. blb
