Funding for a PhD position is available at the University of Alabama Dept. Biological Sciences in the laboratories of Dr. Carla Atkinson and Dr. Jeff Lozier. The position is part of a recently awarded NSF Institute, The Evolving Meta-Ecosystems (EvoME; woodwellclimate.org/evome) Institute, to investigate the resilience of Arctic organisms and ecosystems to rapid environmental change. We are seeking a student interested in studying terrestrial and stream invertebrates (ground beetles, mayflies, stoneflies) to investigate links between community ecology, trait variation, ecological stoichiometry, thermal biology, and genomics across a broad latitudinal gradient in Alaska. The EvoME Institute is a 6-year project that will involve a large collaborative team, and the student’s research will help address major questions about adaptability to a warming arctic in diverse terrestrial and aquatic species, including fish, willows, sparrows, beetles, and mayflies.

 The student will get to work with a diverse and highly dynamic group of collaborators and will have the unique experience of spending their summers conducting field work at Toolik Field Station (www.uaf.edu/toolik/) in the Alaskan tundra. Field work will include quantitative sampling of terrestrial beetles and stream invertebrates at project sites for studying taxonomic composition and for genome sequencing, as well as collecting live specimens to conduct experimental work in the field and lab. The ideal student will thus have experience or interest in working with insects from different taxonomic groups and be comfortable with extended field work in a remote field station setting.

 The Atkinson and Lozier labs have a history of successful collaboration, and the applicant would become part of friendly and interactive lab groups in the Department of Biological Sciences at UA. Funds are available for stipend and research support, and the position will be available starting in the Spring 2025 semester. The ideal candidate would be available in Summer 2025, but there is flexibility in the start date for qualified applicants so please apply if interested.

 Applications 

Interested applicants should contact Carla Atkinson ([email protected]) or Jeff Lozier ([email protected]) for more information.