The Global Change Ecology Lab (GCEL) within the Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences part of the W.C. Franke College of Forestry of the University of Montana is seeking graduate students to join a study of forest ecosystem responses to prescribed fire, mechanical fuels treatments, and climate change. This position is supported by a Joint Fire Sciences Program grant and will officially begin in the Summer/Fall of 2024. Successful candidates will join a team of researchers from across the Montana Forest Conservation Experiment Station, the National Center for Landscape Fire Analysis, and the U.S. Forest Services Fire Science Lab in implementing and monitoring fire and fuel treatments at Lubrecht Experimental Forest in the Blackfoot Watershed of western Montana. The W.C. Franke College of Forestry is home to several nationally ranked programs that support training and expertise in forest dynamics, wildlife biology, wildland fire, and climate systems.
Graduate research in this position could address but is not limited to, tree and understory plant life history responses to fire and fuel treatments, plant-soil/plant-insect interactions, and population and community ecology theory. Preferred applicants will have an interest in dendrochronology methods and/or data collection by UAVs. Ideal candidates will have a minimum of 1 summer of field biology experience and coursework in ecology and/or forestry/natural resources management, biometry, and experience or interest in data management and analysis using open-source software such as the R environment.
Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Scott Ferrenberg at scott.ferrenberg@mso.umt.edu regarding this opportunity. When inquiring, please consider including a statement of interest that describes: 1) your general research and career goals, 2) if you are interested in obtaining an MS or PhD, and 3) experience and education relevant to graduate training in ecology and forestry. Please also provide a current curriculum vitae and unofficial transcripts to support your statement of interest.
