Graduate Research Assistant (up to 2): Aquatic/Fisheries Ecology
Illinois Natural History Survey
Prairie Research Institute
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Project Description: Assistantships are available starting Summer or Fall 2021 for MS and Ph.D. students to conduct research in aquatic ecology and recreational fisheries management. Successful applicants will develop research projects within the following themes: 1) habitat enhancement of urban fisheries and 2) social-ecological dynamics of recreational fisheries management.
The research activities of the Parkos lab are conducted from an integrated network of three INHS field stations: the Kaskaskia, Ridge Lake, and Sam Parr Biological Stations. Field station facilities include outdoor ponds, mesocosms, microscope labs, wet labs, bunkhouses, and workshops. Further details about the Parkos lab and the field stations can be found at: https://jparkos3rd.wixsite.com/mysite.
Students will be advised by Dr. Joe Parkos, a research scientist at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS; https://www.inhs.illinois.edu/), one of five scientific surveys housed within the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). The home department of successful applicants will be the Department is Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRES) at UIUC and must meet the minimum admission requirements of the NRES graduate program (https://nres.illinois.edu/graduate/apply).
Qualifications: Bachelors in Biology, Ecology, Fisheries Science, or related field. Competitive applicants will have some field or laboratory experience in aquatic or fisheries ecology and experience or an interest in working with stakeholders and professional natural resource agencies.
Salary and Appointment: This position includes a 50% research assistantship with a tuition waiver through the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Application: Applications will be reviewed starting January 1, 2021, and will continue to be accepted until suitable candidates are identified. Interested applicants should email a single PDF to parkos@illinois.edu that includes: 1) cover letter that states why you are interested in position and if/how, you meet qualifications listed above, 2) CV with employment history, including dates of employment, 3) GRE scores, 4) names and contact information for three professional references and 5) copies of unofficial transcripts. Please put “Graduate Application” in the email subject line and include your last name in all attached file names. Please also feel free to reach out to Dr. Parkos if you have additional questions or would like to schedule a conversation. The successful applicants will be expected to formally apply to the NRES graduate program at UIUC. All admission decisions must be approved by the NRES Director of Graduate Studies. Deadline to apply to NRES is March 1, 2021.
The University of Illinois is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer. Minorities, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. For more information, visit http://go.illinois.edu/EEO.
