We are searching for a PhD student to work as part of a new multi-year study of ungulate-predator ecology In South Carolina. Specifically, the identified student will be overseeing the study of coyotes alongside a paired project (conducted by an already identified PhD student) studying the demography and spatially ecology of white-tailed deer. In addition to conducting intensive GPS collar tracking of both predator and prey (as well as a large camera trap array) during this 4-5 year study, our use of experimental food manipulation has the potential to provide novel insight into predator-prey dynamics. Further, there is the expectation that the student will use resulting data to build on a lab theme by investigating the potential cascading effects on a relatively diverse mesocarnivore communities in the southeast.
Applicants are required to have an MS and BS in wildlife ecology or a related field and an interest in carnivore ecology. The student should be comfortable working as a large research team and conducting field research in often hot remote conditions of rural South Carolina. Previous experience in (1) studying the ecology of wildlife in a field setting and (2) working with private landowners and government agencies is expected. Top applicants will also have experience in analyzing animal movement data and/or camera trapping data as evidenced through peer-reviewed publication(s). Applicants should submit a cover letter, CV, unofficial transcripts, and GRE scores as a single PDF file to djac...@clemson.edu prior to June 23, 2018. Applications will be reviewed starting immediately, with the expectation that the selected student would start in August of 2018. The selected student will be awarded a 4-year graduate research assistantship along with tuition waiver to attend Clemson University within the lab group of Dr. David Jachowski. Clemson University is the largest public land grant university in the state of South Carolina and was recently designated a RI institution. Clemson is a small town located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and along the shores of Lake Hartwell. Campus is surrounded by the 17,500-acre Clemson Experimental Forest, providing abundant opportunities for recreation, research and education.
