[ECOLOG-L] Graduate Student opportunities in ecological modeling, population and disease ecology, at University of Georgia
The Hall Lab (halllab.ecology.uga.edu) in the Odum School of Ecology and Department of Infectious Diseases at the University of Georgia, is seeking to recruit prospective Ph.D. students for Fall 2018. One student will use primarily mathematical modeling approaches to develop theory relating to lab interests (spatial ecology, population and community ecology, disease ecology). One or more additional students are sought for the following projects, to be co-advised by Professor Sonia Altizer (altizerlab.uga.edu). Each of these projects will involve a combination of theoretical, field and experimental approaches: · Foraging behavior, human-wildlife interactions and pathogen transmission dynamics, applied to an aquatic bird, the White Ibis, and its environmentally transmitted enteric pathogens, in urban and non-urban habitats the southern U.S. · The consequences of shifting resource distribution (habitat loss vs resource subsidy) and parasitism for migratory populations, applied to monarch butterflies in eastern North America · The community ecology of host-parasite interactions, applied to monarch butterflies and their pathogens, parasitoids and resource competitors. Students will join the world-class Ecology graduate program at the Odum School of Ecology (ose.uga.edu), and may also be eligible for admittance to the NSF-funded Graduate Research Training program in Interdisciplinary Disease Ecology Across Scales (ideas.ecology.uga.edu) or the Integrative Conservation Program (icon.uga.edu) at UGA. We seek motivated graduate students with demonstrated research experience, strong academic records, critical thinking skills and clear interests in theoretical ecology, species interactions, and/or the consequences of anthropogenic change for wildlife ecology and conservation. Interested applicants should send a cover letter indicating their research and training interests, and a copy of their CV including GPA and GRE scores to rjh...@uga.edu. Students with prior experience in mathematical modeling, and students from underrepresented backgrounds, are especially encouraged to apply. -- Richard Hall PhD Assistant Professor Odum School of Ecology and Department of Infectious Diseases University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602-2202, USA Tel: +1 706 395 5350 Fax: +1 706 542 4819 http://halllab.ecology.uga.edu/
[ECOLOG-L] Integrative Conservation Ph.D. program at Univ. of Georgia
Integrative Conservation (ICON) Ph.D. program at UGA The University of Georgia is pleased to announce that we are accepting applications for Fall 2017 for our Integrative Conservation (ICON) doctoral program. Funded assistantships are available to outstanding students. The ICON Ph.D. program is open to students applying to one of four "home departments" including the Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources (http://www.warnell.uga.edu), the Odum School of Ecology (http://www.ecology.uga.edu), the Department of Anthropology (http://anthropology.uga.edu/), and the Department of Geography (http://geography.uga.edu/). With the current rate of global change, conservation and management of our natural resources needs to adapt to a complex set of challenges. Responding effectively to these challenges requires both disciplinary expertise and agility to work across disciplines. The University of Georgia's ICON Ph.D. program is designed to meet that need by ensuring that students gain disciplinary depth while also learning to collaborate across fields of practice by engaging faculty from the natural and social sciences to train students in an integrative and holistic way. At the same time, this program strives to move beyond the paradigm of interdisciplinarity by reaching outside of academia to bring together academics and practitioners. Through internships and collaborative research, students will interact with professionals engaged in management and conservation as partners and colleagues. These experiences, along with training modules led by communications experts, will ensure that students learn to communicate effectively and strategically with those from other backgrounds and disciplines as well as with lay audiences. For more information, please contact Nik Heynen, ICON Program Graduate Coordinator (icon...@uga.edu), at the Center for Integrative Conservation Research (CICR) at the University of Georgia or visit the ICON website: http://icon.uga.edu/.
[ECOLOG-L] Integrative Conservation (ICON) Ph.D. program at UGA
The University of Georgia is pleased to announce that we are accepting applications for Fall 2016 for our Integrative Conservation (ICON) doctoral program. Funded assistantships are available to outstanding students. The ICON Ph.D. program is open to students applying to one of four "home departments" including the Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources (http://www.warnell.uga.edu), the Odum School of Ecology (http://www.ecology.uga.edu), the Department of Anthropology (http://anthropology.uga.edu/), and the Department of Geography (http://geography.uga.edu/). With the current rate of global change, conservation and management of our natural resources needs to adapt to a complex set of challenges. Responding effectively to these challenges requires both disciplinary expertise and agility to work across disciplines. The University of Georgia's ICON Ph.D. program is designed to meet that need by ensuring that students gain disciplinary depth while also learning to collaborate across fields of practice by engaging faculty from the natural and social sciences to train students in an integrative and holistic way. At the same time, this program strives to move beyond the paradigm of interdisciplinarity by reaching outside of academia to bring together academics and practitioners. Through internships and collaborative research, students will interact with professionals engaged in management and conservation as partners and colleagues. These experiences, along with training modules led by communications experts, will ensure that students learn to communicate effectively and strategically with those from other backgrounds and disciplines as well as with lay audiences. For more information, please contact Nik Heynen, ICON Program Director & Graduate Coordinator (icon...@uga.edu), at the Center for Integrative Conservation Research (CICR) at the University of Georgia or visit the ICON website: http://icon.uga.edu/.
[ECOLOG-L] PhD graduate assistantship in modeling wildlife-pathogen responses to anthropogenic change, Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia
The Hall Lab is seeking one or more PhD students to develop mathematical models of population and disease dynamics. An NSF-funded assistantship is available for a project investigating the consequences of food provisioning by humans on disease dynamics in an urban-foraging wetland bird. Candidates must demonstrate an interest in combining mathematical models of host biology and pathogen spread with empirical data from field and experimental studies. Previous experience with ecological modeling is strongly preferred. The student would be based in the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia and would be co-mentored by Dr. Richard Hall and Dr. Sonia Altizer. Students interested in advancing mathematical models related to other ongoing research themes in the Hall Lab (http://richardhallphd.weebly.com/research.html) are also encouraged to contact Dr. Hall; applicants may be eligible for competitive stipends as part of a new NSF-supported Research Traineeship Program in disease ecology at UGA (http://ideas.ecology.uga.edu/). Prospective students should contact Dr. Hall by email (rjhall “at” uga.edu) by November 15, 2015 with a current CV, and information on past experience with ecological modeling.
[ECOLOG-L] Postdoc position at Univ. of Georia: pathogen dynamics and resource provisioning in urban-feeding birds
Postdoctoral Researcher in Wildlife Infectious Disease Ecology PATHOGEN DYNAMICS AND RESOURCE PROVISIONING IN URBAN BIRDS We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher to join an interdisciplinary team at the University of Georgia studying the consequences of human-provided resources for the cross-scale dynamics of an enteric pathogen (Salmonella) in White Ibis inhabiting urban and natural environments in South Florida. The position, funded by an NSF EEID grant, will be based in the laboratory of PI Sonia M. Hernandez (Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and The Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study at the College of Veterinary Medicine) and will also work closely with co-PIs and collaborators in the Odum School of Ecology, College of Public Health, and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Project background: Urbanization has caused wildlife declines and biodiversity loss, but some species benefit from resources offered by human-altered habitats, with consequences for the dynamics of infectious diseases. The goal of the project is to examine how wildlife use of anthropogenic resources influences pathogen dynamics across organizational scales, from the colonization of individual hosts to transmission across the landscape. Our research focuses on interactions between Salmonella and White Ibis (a wading bird species) in South Florida. Activities integrate field, experimental and modeling approaches to address processes at three scales: (1) individual host susceptibility, pathogen shedding, and recovery, (2) local-scale transmission dynamics, and (3) pathogen transmission and impacts on hosts at the landscape level. A general modeling framework will be developed to examine the net consequences of provisioning for disease dynamics, and will be informed by fieldwork and laboratory experiments to estimate key parameters. Qualifications: We seek an enthusiastic, motivated, independent individual with a strong work ethic who has demonstrated experience and future interest in studying wildlife health and wildlife infectious diseases at the population and individual levels. Candidates should have a DVM or a PhD in epidemiology, ecology, microbiology, infectious diseases, or related fields. Strong written and oral communication skills and a track record of publications are required. Other desired skills include: 1) ability to work independently in the field, under periodically challenging conditions, and coordinate a team to capture and handle birds, 2) ability to manage a colony of captive birds, 3) experience in microbiology, including culture, phenotypic and molecular identification of enteric pathogens, 4) an understanding of stress physiology and immune function in vertebrates, 5) some familiarity with population ecology and infectious disease modeling, 6) an understanding of spatial ecology and GIS-based approaches. Responsibilities: The postdoc will be based in Dr. Sonia M. Hernandez’s laboratory at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. The postdoc will also work in other laboratories associated with this project to perform a subset of the following approaches: Salmonella isolation and genotyping, characterizing the enteric microbiome, spatial ecology and the use of GIS, immune function assays, and integrating empirical findings with infectious disease modeling. Other project collaborators include Drs. Richard Hall, Sonia Altizer, Kristen Navara, Erin Lipp, Michael Yabsley and Emily Lankau. Collectively, the University of Georgia supports a vibrant community of infectious disease ecologists/specialists. The postdoc will have primary responsibility for co-supervising the fieldwork and captive experiments together with Hernandez. During years 1-2, the postdoc will travel several times per year to field sites in South FL. Starting in Yrs 2-3, the postdoc will help establish and manage a colony of captive birds for experimental work. The postdoc will also participate in meetings with all project collaborators and students to review progress and goals, and will assist in mentoring project personnel, especially graduate students and undergraduates. Application: To apply, candidates should submit (1) a cover letter describing background and interest relevant to the project and include a separate statement of research experience and interests; (2) an academic CV; (3) three letters of recommendation from three professional references that can specifically attest to the applicant’s interests, work ethic, skills and motivation for a career in wildlife diseases and disease ecology. Application screening will begin on June 15th and continue until a suitable candidate is identified. The preferred start date is August 15th, 2015. A competitive salary will be offered that is commensurate with experience. Please email she...@uga.edu with any questions.
[ECOLOG-L] snowy owls
Hi Olyssa several northern owl species (Boreal, Great Gray, Hawk and Snowy) undergo periodic winter irruptions in which they are observed in large numbers much further south than their normal winter range. This is thought to be linked to cycles in their small mammal prey in the breeding range (see, e.g. Cheveau et al. (2004), Oikos 107:190-198). This winter, A Snowy Owl has been observed as far south as Tennessee, and in western Europe there are multiple birds being observed much further south than normal (Channel Islands, Belgium and the Netherlands) Cheers Richard -- Forwarded message -- From: Olyssa Starry To: Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:21:51 -0500 Subject: snowy owls hi all, i am an ecologist by training, but a bird-watcher by hobby. i've been watching the sightings lists and have heard from friends about snowy owl sightings first in harrisburg pa and then as far south as maryland. is there anyone on this list that has any insights that would explain this/confirm whether or not this is very unusual? thanks, olyssa -- Richard Hall PhD Assistant Research Scientist Odum School of Ecology 140 E. Green Street The University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602-2202, USA Tel: +1 706 542 3971 Fax: +1 706 542 4819 http://www.ecology.uga.edu/hall
