A PhD position in wildlife habitat modelling is available in the Département des sciences du bois et de la forêt, Université Laval, in collaboration with Ducks Unlimited Canada. The position will be funded via an NSERC/FQRNT IIS scholarship of $27,000/yr for 3yr. The project concerns the analysis of an extensive suite of repeated-measures aerial waterfowl surveys. As part of a graduate thesis, the student will develop mixed-effects models to relate species abundances and distributions to a suite of biophysical covariates. The student will be associated with several research groups focussed on national-scale spatial simulation of ecological processes in the Canadian boreal: see Boreal Avian Modelling (http://www.borealbirds.ualberta.ca). Applications to spatial simulation for forest management and conservation planning may be developed in the course of the thesis, depending on the interests of the student.
The sucessful candidate will combine strong quantitative skills with an interest boreal conservation, independent of disciplinary background. Good written English skills are necessary. Some knowledge of GIS and relational databases would also be an asset, although technical support will be available. The language of instruction at Université Laval is French, but one's thesis may be written in English; this post is an excellent opportunity for those interested in acquiring or improving French language skills. The position will commence September 2009. Applicants should submit by email a short statement of interest, a current CV, and the names of three references to the undersigned.
The sucessful candidate will combine strong quantitative skills with an interest boreal conservation, independent of disciplinary background. Good written English skills are necessary. Some knowledge of GIS and relational databases would also be an asset, although technical support will be available. The language of instruction at Université Laval is French, but one's thesis may be written in English; this post is an excellent opportunity for those interested in acquiring or improving French language skills. The position will commence September 2009. Applicants should submit by email a short statement of interest, a current CV, and the names of three references to the undersigned.
Steve Cumming
Chaire de Recherche du Canada,
Modélisation des écosystèmes boréaux
Département des sciences du bois et de la forêt
Université Laval
418.656.2131x2593
stevec@sbf.ulaval.ca
