Michigan State University’s Department of Forestry and Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences (PSM) are pleased to announce a 5-year graduate research assistantship to support a PhD student in conducting research in Plant and Soil Ecology. The student will be co-advised by Dr. Akihiro Koyama (MSU Forestry) and Dr. Christopher Blackwood (MSU PSM). Other collaborators include Dr. Brook Wilke (MSU W.K. Kellogg Biological Station), Dr. Pedro Antunes (Algoma University, Ontario, Canada), Dr. Christopher Fernandez (Syracuse University) and Dr. Catherine Fahey (Smithsonian Environmental Research Center). The successful candidate will help to lead a project investigating how crop rotation affects crop performance and yield through plant-soil feedbacks. This will include field, greenhouse, and laboratory-based research, investigating plant-soil feedbacks, focusing on the interaction between crops (canola, maize, soybean and wheat) and root and soil microorganisms, such as mycorrhizal fungi and pathogens. Field work will take place in W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (Hickory Corners, MI) and greenhouse and lab-based activities will take place on MSU campus (East Lansing, MI). The assistantship is available for formal Spring 2024 enrollment. Funding for tuition, health and stipend is available for 5 years.
To show interests in the position (before formal application process), please send a one-page cover letter, CV, and the names and contact information of three referees by email as a single pdf file to Dr. Aki Koyama at koyamaak@msu.edu by October 20, 2023. The cover letter should address what are the motivation to apply for this research assistantship and what are the strengths as a candidate for this position.
More details here: https://www.canr.msu.edu/jobs/graduate-research-assistantship-plant-and-soil-ecology
