Graduate Research Assistantship (MS or PhD)

GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIP available at the University of Idaho for either MS or PhD (in either Dept of Biological Sciences or Dept of Fish & Wildlife Sciences).  The student’s thesis/dissertation will be part of an NSF-funded project to develop, validate, and field deploy novel monitoring instruments that use digital cameras and Edge AI to individually identify, count, and measure small mammals without the need for physical capture. The student will be part of a vibrant interdisciplinary research team made up of biologists, engineers, and computer scientists. The specific research questions the student explores are flexible, but should capitalize on the instrument’s new capabilities to yield novel insights into the ecology, evolution, and conservation of small mammals.  The graduate student will be responsible for conducting field validation of the instrument by comparing estimates of population density, species diversity, and individual level physical measurements made by the instrument to those estimated using traditional trapping methods. The student must be willing and able to conduct field research during spring and summer (April-Aug) at remote field sites in the mountains of central Idaho. Field research will be supported by a summer technician trained and supervised by the graduate student. Financial support includes a combination of RA and TA assistantships that include tuition and fee waivers and student health insurance.