M.S. Graduate Research Assistant, Southern Illinois University, USA

October 22, 2009

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Position Description: Beginning 15 January 2010, a M.S. Graduate Research Assistant position is open working under Dr. Clay Nielsen (Southern Illinois University Carbondale) and Dr. Karl Didier (Wildlife Conservation Society) and in conjunction with the Wildlife Conservation Society and Argentine collaborators to identify and prioritize new biodiversity conservation areas in Patagonia, Argentina. This project has the following objectives to which, depending on project needs and student interests, the student may contribute:

1. To model the distributions of select plant and animal species; these modeled distributions will be input into conservation planning software. The student would gain valuable experience in statistical spatial modeling techniques and software such as MaxEnt or General Additive Models.

2. To produce other spatial data layers important for prioritizing conservation areas, such as vulnerability analyses (e.g., vulnerability of areas to climate change or land conversion) or costs for conserving areas (e.g., purchase costs or income from alternative uses).

3. To run prioritization analyses using the conservation planning software (Marxan) and compare various scenarios for implementing networks of conservation areas (e.g., options for scheduling implementation of areas under climate change scenarios). The student would gain valuable experience in conservation planning and spatial analyses.

As part of their Research Assistantship, the successful applicant will also be responsible for maintenance of a 20-unit computer laboratory at SIUC. Duties will include basic diagnostics of computer systems, server maintenance, software loading/removal, and other associated tasks. This Research Assistant position was funded internally through SIUC for the express fulfillment of computer laboratory duties, and will comprise a significant portion of the successful applicant’s time in addition to coursework and research activities.

The successful applicant will obtain a M.S. in Forestry from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Qualifications: The successful applicant must have: (1) obtained a B.S. in wildlife management, forestry, ecology, zoology, geography, or a related field; (2) earned a grade point average >3.2/4.0 or equivalent; (3) scored >1100 on the verbal (or equivalently well on the TOEFL) and quantitative sections of the GRE; (4) considerable experience working with large geospatial databases and GIS; (5) superior quantitative skills; (6) an ability to work with many collaborators from differing agencies; and (7) a thorough knowledge of aforementioned computer laboratory maintenance tasks. Strong skills in speaking and writing both English and Spanish are preferred.

Closing date : 30 Oct 2009

For more info, contact:

Contact: Dr. Clay Nielsen, kezo92@siu.edu, www.siu.edu/~wildlife/faculty/c_nielsen.html for more information

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