Ph.D. Research Assistantship in Conservation Planning University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology
One position is available for a highly motivated graduate student at the PhD level to conduct a research project focusing on conservation planning in Wisconsin. The successful applicant will have a strong interest in conservation planning, landscape ecology, land use modeling, GIS, and remote sensing. Wisconsin is rich in its biodiversity, but current trends such as housing growth and landscape fragmentation pose conservation threats. The goal of this research project is to understand these threats and to develop systematic conservation plans for three of Wisconsins unique and most treasured landscapes, the Baraboo Hills, the Northwest Wisconsin Pine Barrens, and the Northern Highlands Forests. Specific project objectives are to: a) improve our understanding of human-caused conservation threats by developing and integrating an econometric land use model; b) improve our understanding of habitat availability by developing and integrating advanced remote sensing methods into the habitat assessments; c) develop conservation plans for the three Wisconsin landscapes using the Landscape Conservation Decision Support System (LC DSS) of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS); and d) collaborate with the Wisconsin Chapter of The Nature Conservancy to develop these plans, and with the Wildlife Conservation Society to use and improve their conservation planning tools Working under Dr. Volker Radeloff and Dr. Anna Pidgeon, the PhD student will join the research team in the SILVIS Lab in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology (http://forest.wisc.edu) at UW-Madison. A listing of current members of the lab and research projects can be found at the SILVIS Lab website (http://www.silvis.forest.wisc.edu/ ). Candidates should have the following education and skills: - Educational background in conservation biology, wildlife ecology, landscape ecology, environmental economics, geography, forestry, environmental science, or a related discipline; - Strong English writing and verbal communication skills; - Experience and/or some background in GIS, remote sensing, and statistics; - Motivation to work independently and to publish in peer-reviewed journals; - Proficiency with GIS and statistical analysis software; - Applicants with a Masters degree are preferred but exceptional candidate without Masters degree will be considered. All application received by March 15th are guaranteed consideration. Applicants should submit the following (electronically, preferred) to Sara Rock at [email protected]. For questions about the application process or the position, please contact Volker Radeloff at [email protected]. - Cover letter summarizing research interests and academic and professional background - Resume/CV - Copies of transcripts (unofficial transcripts sufficient at this point) - GRE scores, if available - Names and contact information for three references (no letters needed at this time) There is no need to apply formally to the department or the UW Graduate School at this point. The PhD assistantship is funded by a McIntire-Stennis grant, available for 3 years period and includes an annual stipend of $20,184, health insurance, and a tuition waiver. Please see http://www.wisc.edu/grad/ for further information about the Graduate School at UW-Madison. Any offer of an assistantship is dependent upon acceptance to the Graduate School and to our departmental PhD program. The University of Wisconsin Madison is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. We promote excellence through diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. The University of Wisconsin is a major research university in the United States ranking 2nd in research expenditures among all U.S. universities and first among public universities. Total student enrollment is 41,000 of which 11,400 are graduate and professional students. UWMadison has a long history of excellence in theoretical and applied ecology, conservation biology, geography, and remote sensing science. The city of Madison ranks as one of the top places in the U.S. to live and work. For information about the campus and city of Madison, please see http://www.uc.wisc.edu/profile/
