A postdoctoral position is available for investigating the factors
affecting the size and persistence of density and trait-mediated effects
in tri-trophic food webs. The position will be supervised by Barney
Luttbeg at Oklahoma State University. The position is funded by an NSF
collaborative research grant to investigate factors affecting the
behavioral responses of an intertidal snail to the presence of predatory
crab, and to test if predictions about long-term dynamics better match
long-term observations when they have been informed by inferences based
on short-term experiments. The successful candidate will participate in
the development of models of the optimal prey responses to cues of
predation risk and the resulting effects on ecological dynamics. They
will also participate in empirical tests of the resulting theory with
potential areas of focus being the spatial distributions of prey and
predators and the effects of uncertainty for both predators and prey.
Qualifications: 1) a PhD (or soon to have a PhD) with expertise in
ecology, behavioral ecology, or modeling; 2) experience with individual
based modeling approaches such as dynamic state variable models and
genetic algorithms; 3) programming skills; 4) familiarity with model
selection approaches, and 5) an interest in integrating behavior and
ecology.
If you are interested please send electronically a cover letter listing
your interests and qualifications, your CV, pdfs of a few publications,
and the names and contact information for three references. Review of
applications will begin April 24, 2009 and continue until the position
is filled. The preferred starting date is June 1, 2009. For more
information please contact me (lutt...@okstate.edu). Oklahoma State
University is an AA/EEO/E-Verify employer committed to diversity.
--
Dr. Barney Luttbeg
Department of Zoology
430 Life Sciences West
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078
(405) 744-1717
Office: 421 Life Sciences West
http://zoology.okstate.edu/
