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Job Opening: PhD Assistantship (Seattle)

Dr. Beth Gardner of the Quantitative Ecology Lab at the University of Washington is seeking a PhD student interested in marine conservation planning. Deadline to apply: 15 November 2019.

The student will be responsible for conducting three integrated projects that use common underlying Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife survey data, covariates, and predominantly distance sampling modelling approaches to estimate density and evaluate population trends over space and time for marine bird and mammal species of interest in Puget Sound and Washington’s outer coast. This position is motivated by underlying ecological questions of multiple marine species and their interactions and directly applicable for informing decisions on marine planning.

For more information on the Quantitative Ecology Lab please visit the lab website at: http://depts.washington.edu/sefsqel/. More information on the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences at UW can be found at https://sefs.uw.edu/. University of Washington is located in Seattle, Washington.

Qualifications: Except in rare cases, students should have a Master’s degree and should have prior academic training in Quantitative Ecology, Wildlife Ecology, Ecology, Biology, Zoology, Conservation Biology or a related field. The ideal student will have very strong quantitative skills (knowledge of R or Python), GIS skills, strong written and oral skills, and the ability to work independently. Applicants should have a real interest in science communication with managers and stakeholders. The most competitive applicants will have knowledge of Bayesian Statistics and distance sampling. The Quantitative Ecology Lab seeks a diverse team and encourages applications from all potential students interested in the project.

For consideration, please send a cover letter summarizing your research interests and relevant experience, a current CV, and contact information for three references to Beth Gardner (bg43@uw.edu). Please put “Marine PhD Position” as the email subject. This position will be funded with various sources, but primarily through the WDFW and includes full tuition waiver plus competitive stipend. Current funding is guaranteed for 2 years, with the expectation of full funding for 4 years. The start date is flexible with a tentative start date of Summer/Fall 2020.

Applications are being accepted now accepted through Nov. 15. Please contact Beth Gardner if you have any questions.