African Vegetation Dynamics, Remote Sensing and Modeling

A PhD Graduate Research Assistantship is available for a well qualified (ideally, post-Masters) student to join a team conducting research on African vegetation dynamics, carbon and water cycles at scales ranging from experimental plots, to watersheds, to the continent. We are exploring how climate and human management interact with vegetation dynamics, ecology, hydrology and the African carbon cycle, using a combination of field based studies in West and Southern Africa, diverse earth observation data sets and coupled ecological and social-ecological system models. We seek a graduate student with a strong background in geography, geospatial information science, data assimilation or related disciplines. The student will develop their research in the areas of geospatial modeling and remote sensing data assimilation related to African carbon and ecohydrological dynamics. Existing expertise, or a willingness to develop new skills, is important. The student will have the opportunity to conduct field research at our research sites in Mali and South Africa, with possibilities to visit and work with collaborators in other parts of the world. Further details can be found at http://globalmonitoring.sdstate.edu/opportunities.php.

Contact:
Dr. Niall Hanan
The Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence (GIScCE)
South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota
Email: niall.hanan@sdstate.edu

The Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence (GIScCE) at South Dakota State University (SDSU) is a dynamic new research center set up in collaboration with the USGS Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS). GIScCE specializes in regional to global ecological and earth systems research, with special emphasis on using geospatial information, remote sensing and modeling to understand terrestrial responses to global change. SDSU is located in Brookings, SD, a small and friendly university town of 120,000 people in a rural setting. The University is home to more than 12,000 students and is the largest university in South Dakota. SDSU is a land grant university with particular strengths in the agricultural and environmental sciences and growing reputation for interdisciplinary research. The university is an AA/EEO employer and encourages applications from women and minorities.