Funded M.S. opportunity in community resilience, forest management, and ecosystem services
We seek an individual interested in pursuing a Master of Science degree in partnership with an interdisciplinary project focused on forest management and grid resilience in the context of community climate resilience and ecosystem services goals. This assistantship is available through the Department of Natural Resources & the Environment (NRE) at University of Connecticut. Start date is January 2024.
The research team includes Drs. Anita Morzillo, Cynnamon Dobbs, and Chandi Witharana. This project is part of a larger long-term collaborative research effort focused on “Stormwise” roadside forest management, and in partnership with the Eversource Energy Center at UConn. There is some flexibility in the thesis topic emphasis, to be determined based on the interests of the selected applicant. The work for this assistantship will involve collection and integration of community-based social science, forest management, and ecosystem services data.
Applicants should have: 1) a background in natural resources, forest management, human dimensions of natural resources, ecosystem services, and/or landscape ecology, 2) interest in applied research focused on the integration of social science and ecosystem services data within an interdisciplinary community planning context, and 3) the ability to work both independently and as part of a research team. The student will be expected to present research results at professional conferences, publish research results in peer-reviewed scientific outlets, and pursue extramural funding to supplement their assistantship, as appropriate. A working knowledge of GIS, social science methodology, and/or ecosystem services modeling is preferred but not essential.
Interested students are asked to send the following materials directly to me (Anita Morzillo; anita.morzillo@uconn.edu) as a single *.pdf document: 1) a cover letter describing their professional background, relevant research experience and interests, career goals, and reasons for seeking a Masters degree, 2) names and contact information for three references, 3) a current curriculum vitae, and 4) copies of transcripts, and 5) GRE scores (if available).
Unofficial copies of transcripts are sufficient for initial contact. GRE scores are not required for program admission, but helpful for overall application evaluation. Potential students must have received a GPA equivalent to a 3.0/4.0 in the last 90 term (or 60 semester) hours of their Bachelor’s degree program. Do not submit materials to the NRE department or UConn Graduate School at this time.
Application review will begin 18 September 2023, and continue until a candidate is selected.
Further information about the researcher team and UConn Department of Natural Resources and the Environment may be found at https://nre.uconn.edu/
Feel free to contact me if you have questions-
Anita
Department of Natural Resources & the Environment
University of Connecticut
W.B. Young Building
Storrs, CT 06269-4087
anita.morzillo@uconn.edu
https://nre.uconn.edu/anita-morzillo/
http://anitamorzillo.weebly.com/
