Research Associate / PhD student

The University of Arkansas at Monticello, College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources is seeking candidates to serve as a Research Assocaite while pursuing a PhD in Wildlife Ecology and Management. The successful applicant will be studying the intersection of bottomland hardwood forest restoration and waterfowl movement ecology. This individual will assist with all aspects of ecological restoration of bottomland hardwood forests including site visits, restoration planning, permitting, site preparation, planning, as well as monitoring of waterfowl/other wildlife responses. The position in the lab of Dr. Douglas Osborne will work towards an awarded USDA project: https://afrc.uada.edu/climate-smart-bottomlands/ 

Project summary: Bottomland hardwood (BLH) forests have shown high potential for producing climate-smart commodities including C sequestration and storage, wood products, wildlife habitat, and other ecosystem services. This project aims to: 1) plant ~600 acres of BLH oak forests in the agricultural dominant floodplain of the Red River Valley of southwestern Arkansas, the Ouachita River Valley of southcentral Arkansas, and the Bayou Meto Watershed in eastern Arkansas by recruiting 10 or more small and underserved landowners with a minimum of 5 underserved landowners; 2) quantify and demonstrate the ecological and economic benefits of BLH restoration on working lands; and 3) help these landowners manage the plantations and market climate-smart commodities.

Responsibilities: The Center is looking for a candidate with strength in at least one of the following areas:

• Waterfowl ecology and management
• Wildlife habitat evaluation
• Forest inventory and monitoring
• Forest restoration
• Spatial ecology and statistical analysis

Qualifications: Applicants should have a M.S. degree in or closely related to wildlife ecology and management, biology and environmental science, restoration ecology, or forestry. Familiarity with spatial analysis/GIS and statistical coding in R is desired. Practical experience and applied research interest in waterfowl ecology and management, wetland ecology, and forestry are required. Candidates should have the ability to work closely with different stakeholders (i.e., private landowners) in promoting wildlife habitat management and climate-smart forestry practices. The ability to work collaboratively with other faculty members and representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations is also important.