Description: The Mitchell Lab in the Department of Wildlife and Natural Resources at Tarleton State University is seeking applicants for a Ph.D in Animal and Natural Resource Sciences to explore pollinator-plant interactions in Texas grasslands starting January 1st, 2023. This project is part of a collaborative research partnership between Tarleton, Texas A&M AgriLife Research-Stephenville, and Texas A&M University-Kingsville supported through USDA-NIFA-NLGCA funding. The goal of this project is to explore floral resource use for pollinators during early and late growing seasons to improve pollinator health in Texas working lands, which will include a combination of field surveys, feeding trials, and DNA sequencing. Applicants will explore techniques on both domesticated and native pollinator and plant taxa. Additional duties will include curation and digitalization of the Tarleton Insect Collection (TIC) and management of western honeybee colonies at both Tarleton State University and Texas A&M AgriLife Research-Stephenville.
Qualifications: M.S. in Biology, Entomology, Natural Resources, or related fields. Applicants should be self-motived, able to work independently in adverse field conditions (esp. hot weather and stinging insects) and in remote areas, as well as delegate to a team of undergraduate and graduate students. Applicant should have strong quantitative skills, including familiarity with statistical software (such as R). The applicant should also have strong technical writing skills; a writing sample will be required. Preference will be given for applicants who have prior experience with apiculture, molecular ecology, and grant writing.
Salary and Benefits: The student will receive a monthly stipend of $2,500 for 36 month (3 year) commitment, including health benefits as an employee of Tarleton State University and the Texas A&M University System. Students are responsible for costs of in-state tuition and fees; opportunities exist for scholarships at the department-and-college-level to cover tuition costs. The student will receive assistance through the hire of field technicians, compensation for travel and lab costs, and to present research at a professional conference of their choice.
Application: Please email the following materials as a single PDF file to Dr. Adam Mitchell (abmitchell@tarleton.edu): 1) A single-page cover letter describing professional goals, 2) a resume or CV, 3) official or unofficial copy of academic transcripts, 4) a writing sample (published or unpublished thesis, submitted research article, or technical report in which the applicant is a co-author), and 5) contact information for three references. Please include the subject line “YOUR_NAME_PollinatorPhD” in the email.
The deadline to apply is October 1st. For questions, contact Dr. Mitchell via email.
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Adam Mitchell, Ph.D (He/Him/His)
Certified Wildlife Biologist ®
Assistant Professor of Entomology
Department of Wildlife and Natural Resources
Tarleton State University
Office: Autry 203B
Phone: (254)-459-5334
