A Master’s-level Graduate Research Assistantship in is available immediately in the School of Natural Resource Sciences at North Dakota State University (Fargo, ND), advised by Devan McGranahan, Assistant Professor of Range Science. The GRA will collect vegetation data and measure fire behavior as part of a team effort to understand grazing, invasive species, and disturbance dynamics in mixed-grass prairie.
A .pdf of the announcement is available here: https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/range/pdfs/fuelbed_ecology_GRA.pdf Requirements: Completed Bachelor’s degree in a related field of natural science, with plant biology, physiology, or ecology preferred. Given the nature of data collection, applications from those with experience and interest weighted towards electronics, electrical engineering, and other technical aspects of microcontrollers, dataloggers, and environmental sensors are encouraged, even if plant ecology has not been the applicant's primary focus. Applicants will demonstrate evidence of independence, reliability, and creativity in prior work, school, or research experience. Well-developed writing skills are required. At a minimum, basic knowledge of data handling and analysis is required. Desirable qualifications: Because work will be technology-heavy, with data collection via passive in-field samplers, hand-held sensors, and wired sensors connected to Arduino microcontrollers programmed as dataloggers, applicants must at least be enthusiastic about learning and applying these tools; demonstrated evidence of their use, or relevant programming experience (e.g., C/C++), is highly preferred. Experience with prescribed fire (interest and willingness to participate expected). Scholastic and research experience with plant and/or fire ecology is highly preferred. Familiarity with data management and analytical software is preferred; experience with the R statistical environment is preferred and students lacking a functional knowledge of an alternative (SAS, Matlab, etc) will be expected to receive mentorship in R. The Graduate Research Assistant will be compensated with a full stipend and full tuition waiver. Professional development is a key objective of the NDSU Range Science Program, and the student will receive mentorship in all areas of scientific practice. Interested applicants should contact Dr. Devan McGranahan via email ( [email protected]) and are requested to include a brief statement of interest and CV/resume in the initial message. Selected applicants will be invited to interview via phone and provide e-mail and telephone information for 2-3 references, unofficial transcripts from all post-secondary schooling, and GRE scores, if available. Only after telephone interviews will an official application to the University be required. This position is available immediately, and will remain open until filled, with preference given to applicants able to be on campus for the start of the spring semester in mid-January 2017.
