[Coral-List] Funded MSc Position at UNO and LUMCON

[Stephanie Archer]

Funded Graduate Research Assistantship for a Masters student at University
of New Orleans and Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium

Start: Fall 2022 or Winter 2023

Description:

We are seeking a student for a funded position to study the link between
soundscapes and fish diversity and habitat use on artificial reefs in
Louisiana.The Louisiana Artificial Reef Program was established with the
goals of facilitating access by Louisiana fishers, both recreational and
commercial, and enhancing and conserving fisheries resources. In order to
fulfill these goals fished species must both utilize the reefs and reefs
must result in new biomass production rather than simply attracting and
concentrating existing fishes. Reefs may contribute to new biomass
production if fishes use them as refuges from predation, feeding grounds,
or spawning habitat. Therefore, the first step in determining if artificial
reefs are contributing to both the conservation and fisheries related goals
of the Louisiana Artificial Reef program, we must first gain a better
understanding of which fishes are utilizing the reefs, when, and for what
purpose. The selected student will develop methods to explore using passive
acoustic monitoring to answer the questions of which, when, and why fishes
use artificial reefs.

Support:

The position is funded for three years through Louisiana Sea Grant and
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Research
Assistantship Program. The student will join University of New Orleans
(UNO) Biological Sciences Program (https://www.uno.edu/academics/cos/biology)
and be co-advised by Dr. Stephanie Archer at Louisiana Universities Marine
Consortium (https://archerbenthicecologylab.com/, https://lumcon.edu ) and
Dr. Kelly Boyle (UNO,
https://www.fishmorphandbehavior.org/kelly-s-boyle.html).  As part of this
funding the student will complete a 100 hr internship with LDWF’s
Artificial Reef Program.

Required Qualifications:

   -

   A Bachelor’s degree in ecology, biology, or related field. Degrees in
   other fields with comparable experiences and a multidisciplinary mindset
   will be considered.
   -

   Desire to build and maintain strong multi-institutional collaborations
   -

   Ability to maintain a professional and positive attitude while working
   independently and collaboratively with a culturally diverse team
   -

   Demonstrated quantitative, oral presentation, and written communication
   skills
   -

   SCUBA Certification and comfort operating under water
   -

   Comfort working with computers, including computer programming.

Preferred Qualifications:

   -

   Rescue Diver Certification or higher
   -

   Data management and analysis skills
   -

   Experience working with acoustic data

To Apply:

Send as a single PDF to sarcher at lumcon.edu

   1.

   A cover letter highlighting your experience/skills, interests, and
   career plans as they pertain to this opportunity
   2.

   Your curriculum vitae
   3.

   A copy of your unofficial transcripts
   4.

   Contact information for 3 references that can speak to some combination
   of 1) your research experience/interests, 2) your ability to work in a
   diverse collaborative team, 3) your interest/experience as a leader,
   mentor, and/or teacher, 4) your work ethic (applicant will be notified
   prior to any contact with references), and 5) the mentorship style you work
   best with



Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until a student
is selected.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stephanie K. Archer, PhD
stephaniekarcher.com