We are recruiting 1 Ph.D. student to work collaboratively on a project to inform bighorn sheep and mountain goat adaptive management efforts throughout Montana. The purpose of this project is creating an adaptive management framework to increase understanding of the effects of management actions aimed at improving population trends and reducing disease risk.
This will be accomplished by designing integrated population models that can leverage existing data and incorporate information from on-going or planned management actions for these species to understand the impacts of management actions on population and disease processes.
The student will be co-advised by the team of Dr. Daniel Walsh from the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit and Dr. Nick DeCesare from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The position is available beginning August 1, 2023. The Graduate Research Assistantship comes with a competitive compensation package.
Qualifications
Ph.D. applicants would ideally have a B.S. and M.S. in wildlife science, biology, applied statistics, mathematics, computer science or closely related disciplines. Relevant field research experience and strong quantitative skills are highly desired.
A strong work ethic, the necessary maturity and ability to work collaboratively with a diversity of natural resource professionals, and interests in applied wildlife conservation are essential. Candidates for the positions should be eager to learn and implement the field techniques and statistical analyses required to address the research questions.
Before applying formally to the University of Montana Graduate School, applicants should send a cover letter, resume/CV, copies of transcripts (unofficial), GRE scores, if available, and the names and contact information (phone and e-mail address) of 3 references to Dr. Daniel Walsh at daniel.walsh@umontana.edu by April 24, 2023.
The cover letter must address the following, each in its own short section: (1) motivations for pursuing a graduate degree and description of professional goals; (2) why you are interested in the topic of this position; (3) illustration of adaptability, initiative, follow-through, and capacity to learn new skills; and (4) description of a challenge that you had to overcome. Documents should be combined into one PDF and emailed to Dr. Daniel Walsh at daniel.walsh@umontana.edu.
Review of applications begins immediately and continues until the position is filled. Please direct questions to Dr. Daniel Walsh at daniel.walsh@umontana.edu.
Please refer to http://www.cfc.umt.edu/wbio/ for information about the Wildlife Biology Program at the University of Montana, minimum academic qualifications, and application procedures.
Contact Person: Dr. Daniel Walsh: Contact eMail: daniel.walsh@umontana.edu