MS Research Assistantship in Limnology/Aquatic Ecology

One M.S. research assistantship is available in Alan Wilson’s lab http://www.wilsonlab.com at Auburn University (AU) to study basic and applied limnology/aquatic ecology. Current lab research projects revolve around understanding the ecological and genetic mechanisms mediating harmful cyanobacterial blooms and include an NSF-funded project focused on elucidating the ecosystem-level consequences of food-web evolution. Students in my lab are welcome to participate on existing projects but are strongly encouraged to develop their own thesis projects using a suite of approaches available at AU including field limnocorral and whole-pond experiments, large-scale lake surveys, and laboratory-based mechanistic studies.

Travel opportunities to scientific conferences and field sites throughout the Southeast and Midwest are made available to all of my students. The ideal candidate will be hard-working, enjoy teamwork, and have a solid foundation in aquatic ecology, molecular biology, microbiology, or related fields. Also, since outreach is an important component of my lab’s activities, prospective students motivated to educate others about the importance of protecting our natural resources are especially encouraged to apply.

Starting dates are flexible, but preference will be given to students available May to August 2009.

Interested students are encouraged to email:
(1) a concise letter of interest including the contact information for three references (two professional and one personal),
(2) copies of transcripts and GRE scores, and
(3) a brief resume by March 1st 2009 for full consideration to contact:
Alan Wilson
1-334-844-9321
wilson@auburn.edu