The University of Montana (UM) Forest Ecology Lab seeks to fill a graduate assistantship at the MS or PhD level The project goal is to develop and evaluate silvicultural strategies for climate change adaptation in western larch dominated mixed-conifer forests. This project is a collaboration with the US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station and is associated with the Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change Network. The position will be supervised by Dr. Andrew Larson.

The graduate assistant will: (1) conduct a greenhouse nursery experiment wherein conifer seedlings are cultured and grown under experimental moisture stress regimes; (2) use a subset of the cultured seedlings to conduct an outplanting experiment; (3) report results of these experiments in a thesis or dissertation and in manuscript(s) submitted to peer-reviewed journals. Additional opportunities include analysis of existing and new data from silvicultural experiments and permanent plots in western larch/mixed-conifer forests. The graduate assistant will work collaboratively with UM faculty, staff, and students; RMRS scientists and staff; and forest land managers.

Funding support includes a mixture of research and teaching assistantships, with annual renewal based on satisfactory performance. Available degree options include Forest and Conservation Sciences (PhD), Forestry (MS), or Systems Ecology (MS or PhD).

Required qualifications
– Ability to meet the admission requirements for the relevant UM graduate degree program
– Ability to implement modern applied statistical analyses in R
– Evidence of skills and experience to successfully conduct field and greenhouse experiments
– Demonstrated technical writing ability
– Excellent communication, interpersonal, and time management skills

Preferred qualifications
– Graduate or undergraduate training in silviculture and forest ecology
– Work experience or training in greenhouse or nursery practices, plant propagation, or horticulture
– Research experience leading to publication in refereed journals

Application procedure
Send a single pdf file containing a cover letter that explains your interest in the position and how you meet the required and preferred qualifications, a current CV, unofficial transcripts, and names and contacts of three professional references to Dr. Andrew Larson at [email protected]  . Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning October 20, 2021.
Start date. January 2022 (spring semester of the 2021-2022 academic year).

About UM and Missoula. UM is located in Missoula, Montana’s second-largest city with a population of 80,000 residents. Missoula offers a high quality of life, with excellent public schools, and multiple rivers, trails, Wilderness areas, and other outdoor recreation amenities within minutes of campus. Missoula supports a vibrant arts community and attracts national musical acts.