[Coral-List] Multiple graduate student positions (PhD and Masters) available within the FISHSCAPE project at FIU

[Alastair Harborne]

The FISHSCAPE Project is a large, NOAA-funded study that will run at Florida International University (FIU) from 2021-2025 and is led by Principal Investigators Dr Alastair Harborne, Dr Justin Campbell, Professor James Fourqurean, Dr Yannis Papastamatiou, and Dr Rolando Santos. Briefly, marine protected areas often aim for habitat representation to fulfil the needs of species that forage widely, such as from reefs into seagrass beds. In the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Sanctuary Preservation Areas (SPAs) contain only a small area of seagrass, but if this was to be expanded there is little data on how much seagrass is required to support foraging reef fishes. This project will collect field and laboratory data to provide clear guidance to managers on these seagrass requirements. Project components will include data on seascape characteristics and their potential to change because of environmental stressors, invertebrate and fish prey abundances, risk of predation, fish foraging patterns (using acoustic telemetry), fish physiology, and stable isotopes. These data will be integrated into bioenergetic models that will allow us to estimate the seagrass area needed within a SPA to support foraging reef fishes under current and future habitat states and consequently aid management decisions.

https://environment.fiu.edu/what-we-study/projects/fishscape/
https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/oct21/habitat-connectivity.html<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/oct21/habitat-connectivity.html__;!!FjuHKAHQs5udqho!aRyjlICmonJVSL0DR6Zhmc22WyzA9wg4NJ_cZrSPKPceL6rTBjkqpLAFVeUzmp0$>
https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/nccos-awards-1-7m-to-support-habitat-connectivity-research-in-national-marine-sanctuaries/<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/nccos-awards-1-7m-to-support-habitat-connectivity-research-in-national-marine-sanctuaries/__;!!FjuHKAHQs5udqho!aRyjlICmonJVSL0DR6Zhmc22WyzA9wg4NJ_cZrSPKPceL6rTBjkqpLAFrQWMDIk$>
https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/project/incorporating-reef-fish-foraging-in-seagrass-beds-into-designing-optimal-mpas/
https://www.tropicalfishecologylab.com/join-the-lab

Positions available (closing date for all applications Monday November 1st, 2021)

1. PhD student (based within the Campbell lab at the Biscayne Bay Campus)
We are seeking a PhD student to work on seagrass ecology, particularly the fish and invertebrate fauna they support, how this varies with seagrass meadow characteristics and seascape context, and the impact on fish foraging. This position will require extensive field and laboratory work, and contributing ideas and data to the wider project.
Desired skills:
●             Bachelor’s degree in marine science
●             Experience of conducting tropical ecology fieldwork
●             Experience of research on Caribbean seagrass beds and / or Caribbean invertebrates
●             SCUBA diving qualification and AAUS certification, and boating experience
●             Good communication and organizational skills
Apply by emailing a cover letter (outlining background, expertise, and interests), curriculum vitae, and names of at least two references to Justin Campbell (jcampbel at fiu.edu). Candidates are welcome to apply for more than one of the PhD studentships. Applicants will need to be awarded a competitive Teaching Assistantship by FIU.

2. PhD student (based within the Santos lab at the Biscayne Bay Campus)
We are seeking a PhD student to work on tropical seascape ecology and remote sensing, particularly mapping seagrass beds using a range of sensors, quantifying seagrass habitat characteristics, and using habitat maps as proxies of other resources (e.g., prey availability). This position will require some field and laboratory work, and contributing ideas and data to the wider project.
Desired skills:
●             Master’s (preferred) or Bachelor’s degree in marine science
●             Experience of conducting ecology fieldwork in marine systems, ideally in tropical seagrass ecosystems
●             Experience of research in seascape / landscape ecology and / or remote sensing
●             SCUBA diving qualification and AAUS certification, and boating experience
●             Strong quantitative and programming skills (e.g., statistical modeling in R, Google Earth Engine, GIS, and remote sensing software such as ArcGIS and ENVI)
●             Experience working with unmanned aerial vehicles for mapping coastal habitats
●             Good communication and organizational skills
Apply by emailing a cover letter (outlining background, expertise, and interests), curriculum vitae, and names of at least two references to Rolando Santos (rsantosc at fiu.edu). Candidates are welcome to apply for more than one of the PhD studentships. Applicants will need to be awarded a competitive Teaching Assistantship by FIU.

3. PhD student (based within Fourqurean lab at the Modesto Maidique Campus)
We are seeking a PhD student to work on seagrass ecology and monitoring, particularly working on a long-term seagrass monitoring project, quantifying changes in seagrass state, and understanding the role of different stressors in affecting seagrass health. This position will require extensive field and laboratory work, and contributing ideas and data to the wider project.
Desired skills:
●             Bachelor’s degree in marine science
●             Experience of conducting tropical ecology fieldwork, ideally in the Caribbean
●             Experience of research in seascape / landscape ecology and / or remote sensing
●             SCUBA diving qualification and AAUS certification, and boating experience
●             Good communication and organizational skills
Apply by emailing a cover letter (outlining background, expertise, and interests), curriculum vitae, and names of at least two references to James Fourqurean (fourqure at fiu.edu). Candidates are welcome to apply for more than one of the PhD studentships. Applicants will need to be awarded a competitive Teaching Assistantship by FIU.

4. Masters student (based within the Papastamatiou lab at the Biscayne Bay Campus)
We are seeking a Master’s student to work on quantifying and comparing a range of metabolic rates in multiple reef fish species that are the focus of the project and working with other project members to link these data to acoustic telemetry and bioenergetic modeling. This position will require some field work, extensive laboratory (aquarium) work, and contributing ideas and data to the wider project.
Desired skills:
●             Bachelor’s degree in marine science
●             Experience of research in fish physiology, particularly respirometry and / or swim chambers
●             Experience of conducting tropical ecology fieldwork
●             SCUBA diving qualification and AAUS certification, and boating experience
●             Good communication and organizational skills
Apply by emailing a cover letter (outlining background, expertise, and interests), curriculum vitae, and names of at least two references to Yannis Papastamatiou (ypapasta at fiu.edu). Candidates are welcome to apply for both this position and one or more of the PhD studentships.

About FIU

Florida International University is Miami’s public research university, focused on student success. According to U.S. News and World Report, FIU has 42 top-50 rankings in the nation among public universities. FIU is a top U.S. research university (R1), with more than $200 million in annual expenditures. FIU ranks 15th in the nation among public universities for patent production, which drives innovation, and is one of the institutions that helps make Florida the top state for higher education. The Next Horizon fundraising campaign is furthering FIU’s commitment to providing students Worlds Ahead opportunities. Today, FIU has two campuses and multiple centers, and supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA, with more than 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. The university has awarded more than 330,000 degrees to many leaders in South Florida and beyond. For more information about FIU, visit www.fiu.edu.

FIU is a member of the State University System of Florida and an Equal Opportunity, Equal Access Affirmative Action Employer all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

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Dr Alastair Harborne
Assistant Professor
Tropical Fish Ecology Lab
http://tropicalfishecologylab.com<http://tropicalfishecologylab.com/>

Institute of Environment & Department of Biological Sciences
Florida International University,
MSB 352, Biscayne Bay Campus, 3000 NE 151 Street,
North Miami, Florida 33181, USA

Tel: +1-305-919-4232
email: aharborn at fiu.edu<mailto:aharborn at fiu.edu>
Skype name: al_harborne
Twitter: @alharborne
Website: https://marine.fiu.edu/faculty/alastair-harborne/

Ecology Editor, Coral Reefs: http://www.springer.com/life+sciences/ecology/journal/338
ResearcherID: http://www.researcherid.com/rid/F-6155-2013