The Carey Lab in the Department of Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech has funding for two graduate student positions to start in Summer 2016. We are looking for enthusiastic and highly self-motivated students at the Ph.D. level interested in studying freshwater lakes and reservoirs.
Position 1: We are seeking a graduate student who will integrate field data with simulation models to study lake water quality responses to changing land use and climate. This position is part of a recently-funded, multi-institutional NSF project that will model catchment-scale limnological, hydrological, and economic dynamics at Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) sites. The student will be based at Virginia Tech and be co-advised by Dr. Paul Hanson at the Center for Limnology at the University of Wisconsin. We will support the student to travel to the University of Wisconsin annually to learn modeling skills and develop collaborations. This highly interdisciplinary project will involve close collaborations with resource economists, hydrologists, and limnologists to examine the feedbacks between human decision-making and water quality in lake catchments.

Position 2: We are seeking a graduate student to examine phytoplankton dynamics in local drinking water reservoirs. This project involves substantial field sampling with other graduate students and undergraduate assistants to lead a reservoir monitoring program, and will involve multiple opportunities to conduct whole-ecosystem reservoir experiments. This student would interact closely with reservoir managers and local governmental officials to help make recommendations for drinking water management decisions.

We seek conscientious and energetic students who can work independently while participating in a fun and highly collaborative lab environment. To learn more about what we do, please visit our lab website: http://carey.biol.vt.edu

The Carey Lab is part of the Virginia Tech Stream Team, an internationally-recognized group of faculty and students focused on understanding the community and ecosystem ecology of aquatic habitats.  This vibrant research group provides an ideal environment for conducting graduate work within an interactive and supportive community of aquatic and ecosystem scientists.  For more information on the Stream Team Research Group, please see: www.research.biol.vt.edu/ERG_webpage/VT_ST_ERG.html

Virginia Tech, as Virginia’s leading research institution, has a strong interdisciplinary focus on the environment and natural sciences. Virginia Tech is located in scenic southwestern Virginia, and its close proximity to ponds, reservoirs, streams, woodlands, and other diverse habitats makes it an ideal location for field studies.

Both student positions will be funded on a combination of teaching and research assistantships, which include a competitive stipend, tuition waiver, and health insurance benefits. Interested students should send an email letter of inquiry containing an overview of your research interests, your C.V., an unofficial transcript, a list of past research experiences and mentors, and GRE scores (if available) to cayelan@vt.edu.  Please feel free to contact me with questions about the application process, graduate school at Virginia Tech, or potential research questions!