PhD POSITION IN AQUATIC ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION

The Spatial Community Ecology Laboratory at Utah State University (http://www.eddhammill.com/) is seeking PhD applicants to undertake research in the field of freshwater community ecology. The position is part of an NSF-funded project in conjunction with Michael Cortez’s lab in Florida State University. The central goal of the project is to investigate how the evolution of inducible and permanently expressed anti-predator defenses affect overall stability. The main project will utilize protist microcosms, however there will be opportunities to conduct field investigations that are complementary to the main project. The project will start in August of 2020, and the successful applicant will be based in Logan UT.

The successful candidate will have access to a well-equipped laboratory, and Utah State University’s nearby outdoor Aquatic Research Facility that houses 90 mesocosms and experimental ponds. In addition the research group has strong ties to research stations in Costa Rica, Brazil, Canada and Australia that will be available for field projects. A knowledge of the statistical programming package R, and/or ArcGIS, and conversational ability in either Spanish will be looked upon favorably. Candidates interested in pursuing field projects should be reasonably physically fit, and be able to carry a 40lb backpack 1 mile. 

Utah State University (http://www.usu.edu) is a Research I (Extensive Doctoral) land-grant institution with a student body of over 24,000, 42 departments, 8 academic colleges, a school of Graduate Studies, and diverse research programs. The main campus is located in Logan, a community of 100,000 people. Logan is 85 miles north of Salt Lake City in scenic Cache Valley, a semi-rural mountain basin with nearby ski resorts, lakes, rivers, and mountains providing many recreational opportunities. The area has a low cost of living and provides a high quality of life.  For more information on Logan see http://www.tourcachevalley.com.

This is a fully funded position for the first three years, however candidates will be encouraged to source additional funds to run their own projects. Starting salaries are $18,700 for a PhD. In addition, successful candidates will have the opportunity to work as teaching assistants to supplement their starting salaries.

Please contact Edd Hammill (edd.hammill@usu.edu, 435 265 5964) for more information or to submit application materials (CV, cover letter, any publications, details of their research interests). Initial review of applications will begin Jan 15^th 2020. As the funding has been secured through an external NSF project, the position is open to international students, however students must complete the GRE before the project starts.