PhD Position – Stress Ecology/Fear-Fire Interactions | Penn State University

PhD Position in Stress Ecology and Fear-Fire Interactions
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management
Pennsylvania State University
Supervisor: Dr. Michael Sheriff

I am searching for a PhD student to work in the field of stress ecology or
the ecology of fear. The project is open ended and would explore the
interactive effects of predation risk and fire on the behavior and
physiology of free-living mammals, potentially eastern cotton-tail rabbits
or cotton rats as a focal species. The position is fully funded, including
tuition and summer salaries. The starting date is flexible but preference
will be for a starting date this coming summer or September 2016.
Application review will begin immediately.

This project is part of a long term investigation into the ecological role
of meso-mammalian predators in a longleaf pine ecosystem
(http://www.jonesctr.org/research/wildlife/).  Longleaf pine ecosystems are
characterized by globally significant levels of biodiversity that is
maintained by frequent low-intensity fire.  Fire influences the distribution
and abundance of food and cover resources for wildlife and this project aims
to investigate the effects of that spatio-temporal process on predator-prey
interactions. With climate-induced changes in fire ecology, it is critical
to understand how predator-prey dynamics will respond to the drastic and
immediate changes to their environment induced by fire.

The research focus of my lab (michaeljsheriff.weebly.com) addresses one of
the fundamental questions in biology: what limits and regulates animals in
their natural world?  Our approach is to bridge physiology, behavior, and
ecology to understand how animals interact with the world around them. As
such, we are broadly interested in the underlying physiological mechanisms
by which ecological interactions (predation, competition, climate, etcŠ)
alter behavior and cause changes in reproduction, survival, and ultimately
population demography and community structure. Projects in my research group
are centered on two major themes:

1) How ecological stressors drive changes in free-living animals¹
physiology and behavior, how this impacts reproduction and survival and how
this drives changes in population dynamics and ultimately community
structure.

2) How maternal stress may impact offspring physiology, behavior and
fitness.

I place a premium on analytical skills, writing ability, research
experience, hard work, and enthusiasm. If and when you decide to contact me,
please take some time and write a thoughtful letter (because this is more
likely to generate a thoughtful response). Please send me your CV, GRE test
scores (foreign students (to the US) don¹t need to send this if they do not
have it), and transcripts. Tell me a bit about your interests, and why
you¹re interested in working with our group.

If you are interested in joining our research group please contact me via
email at mjs72@psu.edu.