PhD Position - shrub-dependent birds on private lands

The Bulluck Lab in the Center for Environmental Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University is recruiting a PhD student to start in Fall 2025. Research in the lab focuses on the ecology and conservation of migratory birds with particular interest in Golden-winged Warblers and shrub-dependent bird communities on private lands. Potential projects include occupancy dynamics associated with changes in land use and succession, demographic responses to invasive shrub abundance/removal, and foraging behavior/diet analysis/prey availability. 

The incoming student will be funded via a research assistantship (RA) for the first two years with subsequent funding coming from either additional RA support (pending future grant submissions) or teaching assistantships (TA). The stipend for RA and TAships is $28k per year.

Required Qualifications:

• An undergraduate degree in biology, ecology, natural resources, environmental science, or related degree program with a GPA >3.0
• A Master’s degree in one of these fields or equivalent research experience.
• Strong quantitative skills, including prior statistical training and coding experience (e.g., in R).
• Experience using geographic information systems to analyze remote sensing or other spatial data.
• Field experience with bird surveys and/or bird banding and/or vegetation surveys

Preferred Qualifications

• Evidence of effective technical writing
• Experience leading a field crew
• Strong verbal communication skills and experience interacting with private landowners and general public

Interested applicants should send a cover letter, CV, and contact information for three references in one PDF document to Dr. Lesley Bulluck (lpbulluck@vcu.edu) with the subject line “PhD position VCU” by December 1, 2024. Your cover letter should detail your interest in this opportunity, including what research questions you would like to investigate, what relevant experience you have, and why you want to get a PhD.