Graduate positions
We are recruiting multiple graduate student positions Ecology, Genetics, Forestry or Geography, Sociology to contribute to an NSF-funded project in socio-ecological dynamics!
Timeline: Fall 2023, with a desired start date of July 2023 (2-year for MS or 3-year assistantship plus extension via NAU’s Presidential Fellowship or teaching assistantship for PhD students)
Salary: Stipend, summer salary, tuition and health insurance covered by the assistantship
Deadlines for graduate applications: See department-specific requirements
If you would also like to be considered for NAU’s Presidential Fellowship
https://nau.edu/graduate-college/fellowships/, and excellent opportunity to supplement your salary and research budget, please apply by December 1st, 2022!
Description:
Join a dynamic interdisciplinary team located in beautiful Flagstaff, AZ to conduct research for the NSF-funded project, ‘Restoration of a southwestern cultural keystone species: Integrating socio-ecological systems to predict resilience of traditional acorn harvest by western Apache communities’, led by Dr. Sara Souther. We seek 1 MS student and 3 PhD students to work on a collaborative team that integrates ecological information with social, genetic and dendrochronological data to identify factors that increase resilience of the oak socio-ecological system. See program-specific position descriptions below:
MS in Forestry or Geography – Dendrochronology focus
The successful candidate will possess the necessary skills to:
- Carry out fieldwork collecting tree-ring samples with assistance from experienced coworkers.
- Learn to prepare, measure, and date tree-ring samples, developing chronologies of oak growth in relation to climate and human factors.
- Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team focused on integrating oak biology with traditional oak use by Apache people.
- Demonstrate experience, interest, and skills related to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in tree-ring studies, especially for serving Native American communities.
Requirements: BS/BA in Forestry, Geography, or an environmental or life-science field.
How to apply: Applicants should send questions about the position, a cover letter describing your experience and career goals, and CV to amanda.stan@nau.edu and pete.fule@nau.edu to express interest in advance of applying. If you find the topic of traditional use of acorns interesting but do not have a technical background related to tree rings, please go ahead and talk with us. Most Master’s students in this field do not have experience with it before starting.
PhD in plant ecology and conservation
The successful candidate will possess the necessary skills to:
- Lead a landscape-scale field project to collect demographic data across Emory oak’s range in Arizona;
- Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to integrate a variety of data types;
- Demonstrate interest in improving diversity, equity and inclusion in the ecological sciences;
- Organize and curate large datasets;
- Build and apply quantitative skills related to demographic modeling;
- Self-direct research experience;
- Draft manuscripts for publication.
Requirements: A MS or equivalent work experience in an ecology-related field.
How to apply: Applicants should send a cover letter and CV highlighting leadership skills, self-direction, experience, commitment to diversity and inclusion, and career goals to sara.souther@nau.edu. Applicants will also need to complete the NAU graduate school application by January 1st for the PhD Program in Earth Sciences & Environmental Sustainability https://nau.edu/ses/graduate-degrees/.
PhD in social-ecological systems (interdisciplinary social science/ human dimensions of Forestry)
The successful candidate will possess the necessary skills to:
- Conduct interviews and do qualitative and quantitative social science data analyses;
- Learn participatory modeling approaches that help stakeholders represent their own mental models;
- Learn to use systematic process diagrams that can then be parameterized for simulations for prospective analysis.
Requirements: A MS in Forestry, social ecology or equivalent work experience in environmental studies, environmental anthropology, development social sciences. Engagement with rural and tribal communities is preferred.
How to apply: Applicants should send a cover letter and CV highlighting leadership skills, self-direction, field experience, and quantitative skills to Alark.Saxena@nau.edu and Diana.stuart@nau.edu. Applicants will also need to complete the NAU graduate school application by January 1st for EITHER the PhD Program in Earth Sciences & Environmental Sustainability https://nau.edu/ses/graduate-degrees/ or for PhD in Forest Science through the School of Forestry https://nau.edu/forestry/degrees-and-programs/phd-forest-science/.
PhD in Oak Evolutionary Ecology/Genomics
The successful candidate will possess the necessary skills and aptitude to:
- Conduct genetic sample preparation in the laboratory and work with contracted labs for genomic sequencing ;
- Collaborate with a diverse multidisciplinary team to collect field samples;
- Organize and curate large datasets;
- Build and apply quantitative skills related to genomic data analysis;
- Self-direct research activities;
- Draft manuscripts for publication.
Requirements: A MS or Bachelor’s degree and equivalent work experience in a field related to the position.
How to apply:
Applicants should send questions about the position, a cover letter and CV to amy.whipple@nau.edu to express interest in advance of applying if possible.
Applicants will also need to complete the NAU graduate school application by the deadlines listed above https://nau.edu/biological-sciences/graduate-student-information/ .
Two graduate student positions (Ecology and Sociology) in socio-ecological drought impacts at Northern Arizona University
Timeline: Fall 2023, with a desired start date of July 2023 (2-year for MS or 3-year assistantship plus extension via NAU’s Presidential Fellowship or teaching assistantship for PhD students)
Salary: Stipend, summer salary, tuition and health insurance covered by the assistantship
Deadlines for graduate applications: January 1st, 2023
If you would also like to be considered for NAU’s Presidential Fellowship
https://nau.edu/graduate-college/fellowships/, and excellent opportunity to supplement your salary and research budget, please apply by December 1st, 2022!
Description:
Join an interdisciplinary team in beautiful Flagstaff, AZ to conduct research for the NOAA-funded project, ‘Projecting Socio-Ecological Impacts of Drought in Southwestern Ecosystems to Prioritize Restoration Initiatives’. We seek 2 students at either the MS or PhD-level to study the ecological and social ramifications of drought-mediated state change in the Southwest, US.
PhD in plant ecology and conservation
The successful candidate will possess the necessary skills to:
- Lead a landscape-scale field project to collect demographic data across Emory oak’s range in Arizona;
- Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to integrate a variety of data types;
- Demonstrate interest in improving diversity, equity and inclusion in the ecological sciences;
- Organize and curate large datasets;
- Build and apply quantitative skills related to demographic modeling;
- Self-direct research experience;
- Draft manuscripts for publication.
Requirements: A MS or equivalent work experience in an ecology-related field.
How to apply: Applicants should send a cover letter and CV highlighting leadership skills, self-direction, experience, commitment to diversity and inclusion, and career goals to sara.souther@nau.edu. Applicants will also need to complete the NAU graduate school application by January 1st for the MS or PhD Program in Earth Sciences & Environmental Sustainability https://nau.edu/ses/graduate-degrees/. Please see Lab of Conservation Ecology for full listing: https://labofconservationecology.rc.nau.edu/opportunities-2/
PhD in social-ecological systems (interdisciplinary social science/ human dimensions of Forestry)
The successful candidate will possess the necessary skills to:
- Conduct interviews and do qualitative and quantitative social science data analyses;
- Learn participatory modeling approaches that help stakeholders represent their own mental models;
- Learn to use systematic process diagrams that can then be parameterized for simulations for prospective analysis.
Requirements: A BS or MS in Forestry, social ecology or equivalent work experience in environmental studies, environmental anthropology, development social sciences. Engagement with rural and tribal communities is preferred.
How to apply: Applicants should send a cover letter and CV highlighting leadership skills, self-direction, field experience, and quantitative skills to Diana.stuart@nau.edu. Applicants will also need to complete the NAU graduate school application by January 1st for either a MS or PhD Program in Earth Sciences & Environmental Sustainability https://nau.edu/ses/graduate-degrees/.