Ph.D. Research Assistantship at the University of New Hampshire For
Fall 2013: Aquatic ecosystem responses to land use change and beaver
pond expansion in suburban Boston.
The University of New Hampshire seeks a highly motivated Ph.D. student
interested in studying aquatic ecosystem processes at the landscape
scale. The research will focus on responses of water quantity and
quality in a coastal watershed that is suburbanizing but also has
increasing beaver populations and beaver ponds. Of particular
interest is the role of spatial heterogeneity and hydrologic
connectivity among different land uses and aquatic ecosystem types in
influencing the biogeochemistry of a suburbanizing watershed.
Research activities can include 1) experimental removal of
impoundments, including taking advantage of planned anthropogenic dam
removals and beaver dam removals, 2) synoptic, watershed-wide, field
sampling, 3) geomorphic surveys, 4) ecosystem process measurements
across flow conditions, and 5) application of computer models to scale
findings to entire river networks in order to understand aggregate
impacts of multiple impoundments. The position is funded through the
Plum Island Ecosystem Long Term Ecological Research site (http://ecosystems.mbl.edu/pie/
), supported by the National Science Foundation. The study sites are
located on the north shore of Massachusetts (Ipswich R. and Parker R.
watersheds), part of the Boston metropolitan area.
Candidates must have an M.S. degree or comparable experience in
ecosystem ecology, biogeochemistry, hydrology, or related field. An
interest in conducting field work in suburban and wetland ecosystems
is essential. Also, ability or strong interest in developing and
refining existing ecosystem models to scale processes from local to
watershed scales, as well as ability to work with existing LIDAR data,
is desirable.
Position is available for start in Fall 2013. The student will be
part of a dynamic group of research scientists, graduate students, and
post doctoral fellows in the Water Systems Analysis Group at UNH (http://www.wsag.unh.edu/
) working on various hydrology and aquatic ecosystem studies, as well
as part of the larger PIE LTER and broader LTER network, offering
considerable networking potential.
Please send a curriculum vitae, statement of research interests, and
contact information for 3 references to Dr. Wilfred Wollheim ([email protected]
). Applicants will ultimately need to apply to the interdisciplinary
Natural Resources and Earth System Science Ph.D. program at UNH (http://www.unh.edu/nressphd/apply.html
).
