PhD opp in Africa

I am interested in recruiting a doctoral student to my lab to conduct
research on factors regulating tree cover and diversity in African savannas
starting in Fall 2011. Potential topics include: i) factors limiting tree
recruitment along rainfall gradients; ii) mechanisms of tree-grass and tree-
tree coexistence through partitioning of soil moisture; iii) analysis of
traits and trait-tradeoffs at different scales (leaf, stem, whole-plant);
iv) relationships between functional (e.g., wood density, drought-
resistance) and demographic traits across tree species. The field
components would most likely take place in the Serengeti (i) and Kruger (ii-
iv) National Parks. I am interested in applicants with strong quantitative
skills (e.g., familiarity with maximum likelihood and/or Bayesian methods
and/or mathematical/simulation modeling) or who are interested in acquiring
them, and who are interested in integrating field, lab, and modeling
approaches.

Funding in the Division of Biological Sciences is available through Graduate
Teaching Assistantships and a number of competitive four-year Life Sciences
Fellowships. Further funding in the form of Research Assistantships may
become available, depending on the success of pending and future proposals.
In the meantime, I have limited funding available to seed field projects.

Columbia is an attractive college town with excellent amenities and
recreational opportunities and affordable housing, and is less than 2 hours
from the St. Louis airport and 2-3 hours from the Ozark mountains.

Interested applicants please send a CV, a brief description of research
interests, and a writing sample to Dr. Ricardo Holdo at holdor@missouri.edu.