A unique graduate training opportunity grounded in watershed science & ecosystem ecology is available starting in January 2024 at the University of New Mexico.
The Webster Lab is currently seeking one graduate student (PhD preferred) who is interested in exploring the response of headwater stream networks to changing flow regimes in a warming climate. The student will be based in the Webster Lab (alexjwebster.weebly.com) at the Univ. of New Mexicos Dept. of Biology (biology.unm.edu) and will conduct field work in the Upper Santa Fe River Watershed in Northern New Mexico’s high elevation forests. They will join a multi-institutional group of graduate students and researchers working in watersheds spanning the continental US, including at the Univ. of Alabama, Univ. of New Hampshire, Univ. of Arkansas, Univ. of Oklahoma, and Univ. of Nevada Reno. The project is also in collaboration with the Watershed Dynamics & Evolution Science Focus Area at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (wade.ornl.gov), and opportunities to interact with the National Lab will occur.
Research activities will span stream reach to watershed scales and use multiple water quality monitoring techniques. The student will focus on collecting and analyzing high-frequency data from a network of water quality sensors and interpreting results for applications in water management and the advancement of ecological science. Students with interests in ecosystem ecology, biogeochemistry, hydrology, and/or data science are encouraged to apply. Students should be interested in both conducting field work in rugged terrain and in learning advanced data analysis techniques. We are particularly interested in recruiting and training students that represent and support diversity and equity in science.
Albuquerque is is an affordable, diverse, culturally vibrant city with excellent outdoor recreation access. UNM is New Mexico’s flagship research university and is proud to be one of only a few Research I institutions in the nation that is also a minority majority institution.
The strongly preferred start date is January 2024. If a later start date is needed for an exceptional candidate, we will consider starting the student as a technician as late as May 2024, with a start date of graduate school in August 2024.
Interested students should contact Dr. Alex Webster (awebster2@unm.edu) and provide a CV, cover letter, and list of three professional references.
