I am seeking two graduate students (either PhD or MS candidates) to start Fall 2015 to work on questions in urban ecosystem ecology, green infrastructure, and urban ecosystem service assessment at the University of Maryland. Students will help develop projects to answer questions about the drivers of ecosystem function in urban environments, with a particular focus on understanding how design, decision making, and planning affect urban ecosystems and the services they provide. The lab investigates biogeochemical and ecohydrologic responses of green infrastructure, urban soils, and urban forests, and collaborates with hydrologists, engineers, landscape architects, geographers, and planners. These projects and positions will be part of a new University of Maryland Center for Sustainability in the Built Environment that links research in energy, environment, and water resources associated with the built environment.
Applicants should have a degree in ecology, environmental science, soil science, geography, or closely related field (an MS degree is required for the PhD program). Experience in field data collection and analysis with spatial and statistical software (e.g., ArcGIS, SAS, R) is required. Experience in soils, biogeochemistry, use of sensors and data loggers, ecosystem service assessment, or remote sensing approaches are desired. Interest in interdisciplinary collaboration is also strongly desired. Successful applicants will be self-motivated and able to work well in teams. My lab is currently at The University of Arizona, but is moving to the University of Maryland, College Park starting summer 2015. The students would be enrolled in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology at the University of Maryland. See program websites for more information on application and program details (http://enst.umd.edu and http://enst.umd.edu/graduate). Assistantships include a full tuition waiver, salary, and benefits - the students would start in Fall 2015. For details on the assistantship or project, contact Dr. Mitchell Pavao-Zuckerman <mzuc...@email.arizona.edu> or visit http://pavaozuckerman.wordpress.com/
