PhD and MS students wanted*
*(There may be both departmental AND external funding available at this time for highly qualified applicants; self-funded applicants are of course also welcome).
I am recruiting a PhD and/or MS student to join the Landscape Flux Group within the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The research projects will be based in rice agricultural systems in Arkansas, where we are working with farmers to modify irrigation practices to reduce methane production while saving water. The projects use flux budgeting methods to understand the landscape’s ecological and hydrological functioning. This research will connect between site dynamics and climate drivers with the goal of creating simplified process representations used at the scale of the global climate model and to improve management opportunities for sustainable intensification.
Resources are available for travel, equipment and international collaboration. The projects are in collaboration with scientists from the USDA-ARS office in Jonesboro, AR.
These positions can start in spring, summer or fall pending availability of funds. Students should have a background in one or more of the following disciplines: environmental or biological engineering, wetland ecology, biogeochemistry, biometeorology, watershed or surface-water hydrology, agricultural sciences or engineering. Some ability to code in Matlab or a related language is beneficial, as is experience in gas flux measurements using either chamber-based or eddy covariance methods. These positions will require (eventually) a valid US driver’s license.
My research group develops budgets of water, energy, and carbon in different wetland ecosystems. This research uses micrometeorological techniques to evaluate land-atmosphere fluxes of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and heat. For example, the eddy covariance technique is used to determine the turbulent flux within atmospheric boundary layers. These methods quantify major environmental fluxes that serve as inputs for process-based predictive modeling and landscape management. More information on my group is available here.
Additional information about graduate admission requirements, possible supplemental fellowships, and material about the department may be found here. A non-engineering pathway for a Ph.D. is possible through the U of A’s Environmental Dynamics program. Information about the university and its land grant mission may be found here. Furthermore, the university offers competitive Doctoral Academy and Distinguished Doctoral Fellowships, which are significant awards over and above the departmental stipend. Details on these opportunities are available here.
The University of Arkansas is in the middle of a significant period of growth in both its student numbers and in raising its profile in research and innovation. There are significant opportunities here for collaborations on-campus in water, soil, nanotech, and other laboratories. Fayetteville Arkansas is a beautiful and culturally vibrant college town amidst the Ozark Mountain Range. There are plentiful outdoor recreational activities, good restaurants, and proximity to the world-class art collection of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
Interested? Please email me, Dr. Benjamin Runkle, with a CV, GRE scores, TOEFL if relevant, unofficial transcript, the names of two references, a sample of your scientific writing, and a description of your research interests. I am committed to EO/AA principles and a diverse workplace.
It is important to note that any GA offer is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a criminal background and sex offender registry check. Determination of satisfactory is at the sole discretion of the University. It is imperative that the GA does not begin work until the background check has cleared.