(1) Graduate assistantship on gopher tortoise habitat use and activity and movement patterns
We are recruiting candidates for an M.S. position starting August 2016 to study gopher tortoises at Eglin Air Force Base on the Florida Panhandle. Stipend during the first academic year will be through a departmental assistantship and duties will include assisting with the departmental vertebrate museum collection as well as serving as a graduate teaching assistant (GTA). Summer stipend will be through a research grant. Candidate must be willing to work collaboratively, including conducting field work as required by a sponsored contract, summarizing data for and writing reports, assisting with proposals, and co-authoring papers, with professional Virginia Tech biologists located in Florida as well as with faculty mentor. Student will have some flexibility in research focus, but at least part of the work may involve analyzing camera-trapping data on tortoise activity patterns and vegetation comparisons between habitat types.Qualifications: Successful applicants usually have an undergraduate GPA above 3.3 and GREs above 50th percentile. Candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree in Fisheries & Wildlife, Ecology, or related field. Field experience with wildlife management and research is desirable. Strong preference for candidates that have work experience post-graduation, ability to identify plants of the southeastern U.S. or demonstrated ability to learn, and those who have published or presented research results.
Anticipated starting date: August 2016
To apply: Applicants should submit a letter of interest and a c.v. (including grade point average and GRE scores) as well as contact information for three references. Review of applicants will begin May 11. Promising candidates will need to submit an official application to the graduate school at Virginia Tech (http://www.grads.vt.edu/). Contact information: Dr. Carola A. Haas, Department of Fisheries & Wildlife Sciences, Mail Code 0321, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, cahaas@vt.edu, 1-540-231-9269. Please put “gopher tortoise grad position” in subject line of emails to Professor Haas.
(2) Ph.D. Graduate Assistantship on Bog Turtle Conservation Planning
A potential graduate position for a doctoral student may be available Fall 2016, contingent on funding. The Ph.D. student would evaluate potential habitat for bog turtles in southwestern Virginia, and estimate changes over time in population size and growth rates using a previously developed GIS model and a long-term mark-recapture database. Major goals are to work closely with state agency personnel to develop a conservation plan based on trends in land use and human population growth and to improve our understanding of wetland size and connectivity required to maintain viable populations of bog turtles.Qualifications: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Fisheries & Wildlife, Ecology, or related fields. Successful applicants typically have published in peer-reviewed journals and have an undergraduate GPA above 3.3 and GREs above 50th percentile. Experience with conservation planning, demographic analyses, occupancy modeling, wetland habitats, and/or GIS is desirable.
Anticipated starting date: August 2016 or possibly January 2017
To apply: Applicants should submit a letter of interest and a c.v. (including undergraduate and M.S. grade point average and GRE scores) as well as contact information for three references. Letters of interest received by May 10th will ensure full consideration. Promising candidates will need to submit an official application to the graduate school at Virginia Tech (http://www.grads.vt.edu/). Contact information: Dr. Carola A. Haas, Department of Fisheries & Wildlife Sciences, Mail Code 0321, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, cahaas@vt.edu, 1-540-231-9269. Please put “bog turtle grad position” in subject line of emails to Professor Haas.
Carola A. Haas
Professor, Wildlife Ecology
Dept. of Fish & Wildlife Conservation
112 Cheatham Hall (MC 0321)
310 West Campus Drive, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
cahaas@vt.edu
540-231-9269
http://www.fishwild.vt.edu/faculty/haas.htm
