June 13, 2020
The Wetland Landscape Ecology lab in the UT Austin Department of Marine Science seeks PhD students to start January 2021. Research in the lab centers around remote sensing of landscape-scale wetland dynamics, and is related to coastal ecosystem resiliency and long-term landscape change. Successful applicants will work on funded projects related to coastal marsh plant phenology and plant productivity modeling, blending together tools from landscape ecology, remote sensing, and data science. Students will be supported with a competitive stipend.
Required qualifications: Candidates must be able to conduct independent research and to work as part of a scientific team. Experience in data analysis, strong quantitative skills, and the ability to work outdoors in a hot, muddy coastal marsh environment are also required. A minimum 3.0 GPA in upper division course work is required for admission to the UT Austin graduate school.
Desired additional qualifications: Experience in wetlands research, remote sensing analyses, programming in the R statistical language, and working with Google Earth Engine, data science and reproducible workflows. A strong background in either ecology or remote sensing and a track record of successful publication are also desired. A master’s degree or relevant experience is also preferred.
Students will join the O’Connell Wetland Landscape Ecology lab. The lab is located at the UT Marine Science Institute (www.utmsi.utexas.edu), in Port Aransas, TX. This is on Mustang Island, with close proximity to sandy beaches, estuarine habitats of the Gulf of Mexico, and the city of Corpus Christie, TX. Graduate students in the Marine Science Department spend most of their time in residence at Port Aransas, but will typically spend a semester or more at the main campus in UT Austin to complete course work and gain valuable teaching experience. Students will also have the opportunity to network with a broad set of potential collaborators, through interaction with the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long-term Ecological Research Project (https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/)
To apply: please contact Dr. Jessica O’Connell directly. Send a cover letter outlining your research interests and career goals (no more than 2 pages), a curriculum vitae, and contact information for three professional references, including their name, email, phone, and address. These materials should be emailed as a single pdf to Jessica O’Connell (jessica.oconnell@utexas.edu), Assistant Professor in the Department of Marine Science at the University of Texas. For more information, see the lab web page: www.landscapemodeling.net. Applicant review will begin immediately and continue until the positions are filled.
The University of Texas at Austin is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and all qualified candidates, including underrepresented groups, are strongly encouraged to apply.