We are seeking a highly motivated student for a Ph.D. position in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alabama. This is an interdisciplinary project, crossing the fields of ecological modeling, atmospheric sciences, plant ecology, and global change. As anthropogenic actions interact with a changing climate, the carbon dynamics of Everglades wetland ecosystems are changing in complex ways, especially with respect to recent hurricane activity and its influence on global warming potentials of these systems. For example, increases in both water level and defoliation have reduced photosynthetic capacity and increased hypoxia in both freshwater and brackish ecosystems. Important questions have arisen regarding the impact of physical changes in these systems on long-term CO2 uptake and CH4 emissions. The student will help to answer important questions through formulation of ecological hypotheses, collecting data in support of these hypotheses, data analyses, model building and parameterization. The student will join an NSF-funded project, working with a multi-institutional group, including scientists from Florida International University and the National Park Service, and supporting the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-term Ecological Research group (FCE-LTER).
The position will entail: 1. Two trips per year, with 3-6 days of field work at Everglades National Park. 2. Processing and analysis of eddy covariance data 3. Coordination with other FCE-LTER groups The applicant should be highly motivated with a have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree (but a master’s degree is preferred) in ecology, atmospheric sciences, atmospheric chemistry, statistics or related field. Preference will be given to students with a strong background in statistical modeling. The position is co-supervised by Drs. Gregory Starr and Christina Staudhammer. The project is fully funded and includes: competitive stipend, tuition waiver and health insurance. The start date is August 2018. Interested candidates should contact Gregory Starr ([email protected]; http://starrlab.ua.edu/) and/or Christina Staudhammer ([email protected]; http://cstaudhammer.people.ua.edu/) and send a CV, letter of interest, research statement, and if possible a writing sample.
