Ph.D. opportunity to study cougar population demography

Washington State

Ph.D. candidate required to work on NSF-funded ($575,000) project “Effects of anthropogenic disturbance (trophy hunting) on large carnivore population and community ecology”.

This is a controlled, replicated field experiment to examine the effects of resident adult male mortality on 1.) male immigration, 2.) sexually selected infanticide, 3.) female reproductive success, 4.) cougar population growth, and 5.) total predation on deer. See Wielgus (2003) Biol. Conserv. 106: 381-388; Wielgus et al. (2001) Biol. Conserv. 98: 293-303; and Wielgus and Bunnell (2000) Biol. Conserv. 93:145-154 for background.

Duration & location: 4 years (08/15/04 – 08/15/08) in northern (Republic) & central (Ellensburg) Washington State.

Compensation: $1,500 per month ($18,000/yr) + tuition ($6,500/yr) + benefits (health & dental plan).

Duties: 1.) Participate in capturing, collaring & radio-monitoring cougars using hounds and fixed-wing aerial, ground, and GPS satellite telemetry. 2.) Conduct ground investigations of kill sites, birth sites (dens), and mortalities. 3.) Supervise field crews and coordinate with other WSU LCCL lab and WA Dept. Fish & Wildlife staff. 4.) Provide PowerPoint presentations to political, NGO, and general public stakeholders. 5.) Estimate sex- and age-specific survival, maternity, and immigration rates. 6.) Conduct statistical tests (repeated measures factorial ANOVA) on vital rates. 7.) Construct and parameterize a sex/age transition matrix model to estimate population growth and persistence. 8.) Publish peer-reviewed journal papers.

Qualifications: A Masters degree in Wildlife Ecology (preferably large mammals). Experience in capturing, handling, and monitoring large carnivores (preferably cougars). Appropriate analytical & quantitative GRE and GPA scores.

For more info, contact:
Contact: Send cover letter, resume, GRE scores, transcripts, and 3 letters of reference to:
Dr. Robert Wielgus – Director Large Carnivore Conservation Lab Dept. Natural Resource Sciences Washington State University Pullman, WA 99164-6410
Ph: (509) 335-2796 Email: wielgus@wsu.edu