We are seeking two highly motivated students Ph.D. students to work within the Global Change Ecology Group at the University of Alabama. We have multiple projects studying:
1. The role disturbance regimes play in altering the metabolic energy density of Longleaf Pine Ecosystems.
2. “Trading water for carbon”, Understanding water use in a rapidly developed cellulosic biofuels feedstock crop.
3. Natural Climate Change Solutions project engineering a Novel Forest to sequester carbon
The position will entail:
1. Monthly trips of 3-6 days for fieldwork
2. Maintaining eddy covariance tower operations
3. Processing and analyzing eddy covariance data.
The applicant should be highly motivated and have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, but a master’s degree is preferred, in ecology, atmospheric sciences, atmospheric chemistry, or related field. R programming skills and a good quantitative background are needed for this project. Experience with eddy covariance techniques and Campbell Scientific loggers is a plus. Funding consists of an annual stipend of ~$28K per year plus a tuition waiver. During the fall and spring semesters, the student will receive a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (0.5 FTE). During the summer, the student will receive a Graduate Research Assistantship.
Interested candidates should contact Gregory Starr (gstarr@ua.edu; http://starrlab.ua.edu/) and/or Christina Staudhammer (cstaudhammer@ua.edu; http://cstaudhammer.people.ua.edu/) and send a CV, letter of interest, research statement, and a scientific writing sample. Incomplete applications will not be considered for the position.