PhD Assistantship – Structured Decision Making for Deer Harvest Management

University of Georgia, Athens, GA

Salary:  $22,000/year plus fringe benefits, up to $1,000 in required student fees covered annually, and full tuition waiver 

Start Date:  January 1, 2020

Last Date to Apply:  Open until candidate selected

Website:  http://www.ugadeerresearch.org; http://www.coopunits.org/Georgia

Description: 

The Deer Laboratory at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at University of Georgia is recruiting a Ph.D. student with an interest in using structured decision making to improve wildlife management.  This project is a collaborative effort involving UGA (Dr. Gino D’Angelo and Dr. Bynum Boley), U.S. Geological Survey and Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (Dr. Clint Moore), and Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division.  The student will work closely with research collaborators, including Wildlife Resources Division personnel to: 1) evaluate data related to white-tailed deer management from multiple sources, including electronic harvest reporting; 2) develop a framework for data collection to guide deer management (e.g., harvest, biological, hunter satisfaction); and 3) investigate opportunities for utilizing citizen science in deer management.

Qualifications:

Applicants should have an expressed interest in quantitative decision making and must have completed a Master of Science degree in a field related to natural resource management or statistics.  Preference will be given to applicants with a background in structured decision making applied to management of big game species, familiarity with modeling for statistical estimation and prediction of outcomes, and experience with a programming language such as R.  Applicants should possess a working knowledge of and appreciation for the role of hunting in wildlife management and the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.  Minimum requirements include a B.S. GPA >3.0, M.S. GPA >3.5, and GRE combined verbal and quantitative scores >300.  The student will join a cohesive team of graduate research assistants investigating various aspects of deer ecology and management (http://www.ugadeerresearch.org).  Because the project will require extensive coordination with state agency personnel, strong interpersonal skills are required.  The position begins January 1, 2020 and funding is available for 3 years.

To be considered for this position, please send a cover letter outlining your interests, research background, and career aspirations as they relate to this position; a resume or curriculum vitae; copies of transcripts (unofficial) for all institutions attended; unofficial copies of GRE scores; and contact information for 3 professional references (name, email, phone, address) combined into a single PDF file with the file name formatted as lastname_firstname to [log in to unmask].  Review of applications will begin immediately and the position will remain open until filled.

Contact person:  Gino D’Angelo

Contact phone:  706-542-3929

Contact email:  [log in to unmask]