WILDLABS
World Wide Fund for Nature/ World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
PhD Position in Movement Ecology of Forest Elephants
Kays lab at North Carolina State University and NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Starting Fall 2025
Salary is $28K/year (+ insurance and tuition) for 3 years, with likely funding for a 4th year.
Project Description
This project will use existing GPS tracking data of forest elephants to build movement models which will then be used to predict animal movement in a variety of future scenarios. This is a NASA funded position that is part of a team creating a Digital Twin for African forests. Thus our work on elephants will be done in synchronization with other teams modeling other aspects of the ecosystem.
The student will be enrolled in the Fisheries Wildlife and Conservation Biology program at NCSU and also have opportunities to take classes and draw committee members from across the university including the Center for Geospatial Analytics, Department of Applied Ecology, and Statistics Department. The student will have an office in the Biodiversity lab at the NC Museum of Natural sciences and have opportunities to develop their science communication skills through museum programs.
Required Qualifications
A MS degree in related fields or a BS with substantial research experience.
Good quantitative skills including experience with R.
Basic knowledge of movement ecology.
Strong organizational and communication skills.
Other Desired Qualifications
Experience working in Africa.
Detailed knowledge of elephant ecology and conservation.
Proficient in GIS or other spatial methods.
Passion for science communication.
To Apply - Fill out this preliminary application form. A subset of applicants will be invited to submit a full application. Deadline 15 Feb 2025.