M.S. student position: Diving physiology of northern elephant seals

M.S. student position: Diving physiology of northern elephant seals
Seeking a motivated student to begin graduate research (M.S.) at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML), a consortium of seven California State University campuses dedicated to excellence in Marine Science (https://www.mlml.calstate.edu/). The student will join a multi-institution team of researchers (MLML, Massachusetts General Hospital, National Marine Mammal Foundation, Cornell, Alaska Sea Life Center, UC Santa Cruz, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography) on a NSF-funded project to examine physiological plasticity in diving northern elephant seals. While the student will be based in the Vertebrate Ecology Lab at MLML (https://birdmam.mlml.calstate.edu/), she or he will work closely with some of the other P.I.’s.
The student will examine the relationship between fine-scale diving behavior and oxygen management strategies using a novel physiological biologger. The project will involve extensive lab, field, and computer work and long hours in the lab and field before and during field seasons. Students should have a background in physiology and research experience.
I am looking for a student with 1) good academic standing (>3.5/4.0 GPA and > 70 percentiles on the GREs), 2) relevant laboratory and/or programming experience, 3) relevant field experience (ideally with marine mammals, birds, or reptiles), and 4) the ability to work independently as well work well as part of a team.
Two years of NSF-funded tuition and stipend support are available for the selected student.
Interested candidates should email a cover letter with your research interests and experience, an updated CV, unofficial transcripts, and GRE scores (if available) to Dr. Gitte McDonald (gmcdonald@mlml.calstate.edu). Qualified candidates will be contacted to discuss the project and program further and encouraged to apply to the MS program (Due Feb 1, 2018). Emails with required attachments received before December 1, 2017 will receive first consideration, but the position will remain open until a student is selected.