The Aquatic Ecology Lab (http://www.baylor.edu/aquaticlab) at Baylor University is seeking applicants for up to two PhD graduate assistantships starting summer or fall 2010. Applicants may apply to PhD programs in Biology (http://www.baylor.edu/biology/index.php?id=14903) or Ecological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (EEES) (http://www.baylor.edu/tieees). Applicants may wish to apply to both programs to ensure full consideration for assistantships.
We are particularly interested in applicants who will structure their PhD research within one or more of the following (or related) ongoing research areas in the lab:
1) The collective role of watershed physiography, upland vegetation, and riparian wetlands in constraining nutrient availability and energy pathways in small, salmon-rearing streams on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska.
2) How does nutrient enrichment influence biogeochemical processes in stream bacterial-algal (periphyton) communities? How do consumers (macroinvertebrates and fish) interact with nutrient enrichment to influence stream biogeochemical processes?
3) How have reduced hydrological connectivity and increased flow diversions and effluent discharges influenced historical fish species distributions and genetic diversity in stream networks in Texas?
Baylor affords outstanding research and teaching facilities. The Aquatic Ecology Lab is housed in the new 500,000 sq. ft Baylor Sciences Building and recently moved into brand-new expansion space to accommodate growth of the lab. Student offices are situated adjacent to the lab and other aquatic teaching and research labs, most notably the Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research (http://www.baylor.edu/crasr), a state-of-the-art analytical laboratory supporting a suite of water, soil, and tissue chemical analyses. A stable-isotope mass spectrometer lab available on-site for student research also is opening in spring 2009. Off campus, the 180-acre Lake Waco Wetlands (http://www.lakewacowetlands.com) supports our new Baylor Experimental Aquatic Research (BEAR) outdoor stream facility (http://www.baylor.edu/aquaticlab/index.php?id=45868), one of the largest and most realistic experimental stream facilities in North America. Baylor offers excellent financial support for highly qualified applicants. Annual stipends range from $18,000-25,000, with the higher stipends awarded to top applicants. Admission to either Biology or EEES PhD programs guarantees full tuition remission (up to a $20,000 value per year as of 2009), health insurance benefits, and additional funding opportunities to cover fees, books, etc.
To apply to Biology and/or EEES, please review university admission guidelines (http://www.baylor.edu/graduate/index.php?id=42273). In addition to these application materials, applicants should possess an M.S. degree or substantial undergraduate research experience and a GRE verbal + quantitative score of 1200 or higher. Applicants also much possess a U.S. driver’s license. If you meet these criteria and are interested in applying, please contact Dr. Ryan S. King (Ryan_S_King@baylor.edu) for more information. For full consideration, applications must be received by FEBRUARY 15, 2010.
December 2nd, 2009 
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