Loret Miller Ruppee Peace Corps Master's International Program.

The Peace Corps Master's International Program in Forestry allows you to combine Peace Corps service with graduate school. The Master's International Program at Michigan Tech is open to students from any undergraduate academic background. We offer Master of Science in Forestry and Master of Science in Forest Ecology and Management degrees. More information.

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Doctoral student positions: Root and mycorrhizal responses to climate change
School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI

Advised by Dr. Andrew Burton and Dr. Erik Lilleskov Posted March 26, 2008

We are announcing an opportunity for two Ph.D. students to join an exciting collaboration between Michigan Technological University and the U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station.  The students will study responses of roots and mycorrhizae to soil warming predicted to occur in the Northeastern and North Central US during the next century.  Multiple new and ongoing field experiments ranging from 0 to 17 years of warming, located in a variety of regions and ecosystem types will be utilized in the study. 

Position 1.  Ph.D. research will focus on the acclimation or adaptation of root systems to soil warming and the drier conditions that may co-occur.  Potential topics for Ph.D. research include, but are not limited to, C allocation to root respiration and biomass production, nutrient uptake and utilization, stand-level C and nutrient budgets, and modeling primary productivity and forest biogeochemical cycles.
 
Position 2. Ph.D. research will focus on the effect of soil warming on composition, structure and function of mycorrhizal fungal communities.  Potential research topics include the response of arbuscular and ectomycorrhizal fungal biomass and community composition to warmer and/or warmer and drier conditions, and the impacts these changes have on ecosystem functions such as soil respiration, C allocation, aboveground NPP, and soil C storage.   

Both students will have considerable flexibility in designing a research program that investigates areas of personal interest, within the overall framework of the long-term project.   A background in ecology, soil science, mycology or a related field is required, as is an interest in the linkages between community-, physiological- and ecosystem ecology.   Experience with any of the following will be an asset, but is not required: root or mycorrhizal research; molecular identification methods; statistical analysis of community structure; physiological ecology of plants and fungi; measurements of ecosystem nutrient and carbon pools and fluxes.  Proficiency in spoken and written English is a necessity.   Selection will be based on academic achievements, reference letters and previous research experience.  An on-campus personal interview may be required. Tuition and fees and a standard stipend package commensurate with your experience will be offered.

Interested candidates should send a resume highlighting their experience and interests, GRE scores (TOEFL required for international students), and names and email addresses of three references to both Dr. Andrew Burton (ajburton@mtu.edu) and Dr. Erik Lilleskov (elilleskov@fs.fed.us). 

The School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science at Michigan Technological University (www.forest.mtu.edu) has state-of-the-art research facilities, including stable isotope and molecular genetics laboratories and instrumentation.  There is a large group of faculty interested in ecosystem science at Michigan Tech and a well-established partnership with the adjacent USDA Northern Research Station’s Forest Sciences Laboratory.   Michigan Tech is located in Houghton, Michigan, on the scenic Keweenaw Peninsula.  Proximity to beautiful Lake Superior and extensive forests, lakes and rivers provides opportunities for a range of recreational activities, including hiking, canoeing and kayaking, fishing and cross-country skiing (www.keweenaw.org/visitor_info.htm). 

Michigan Tech is an equal opportunity educational institution/equal opportunity employer

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Ph. D. Graduate Research Assistantship in Cellulose biosynthesis of poplars
Biotechnology Research Center
School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI

Advised by Dr. C. P. Joshi - posted January 2, 2008
 
A Ph.D. research assistantship in cellulose biosynthesis of poplar trees is immediately available for manipulation of cellulose biosynthesis in transgenic trees (see Joshi et al. New Phytologist 164: 53-61, 2004 and Joshi and Mansfield, Current Opinion in Plant Biol. 10: 220-227, 2007 for background information). You will be involved in a project that employs molecular biological tools for dissecting cellulose biosynthetic processes active during wood formation in poplars. You will be part of Michigan Tech's Ph. D. in Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology graduate program and will have ample opportunities to interact with other faculty, research scientists and graduate students (http://forest.mtu.edu/gradstudies/prospecitve.htm).
 
An MS degree earned in the field of plant molecular biology or biochemistry is essential. In addition, some prior experience with plant tissues culture is highly desirable. Therefore, candidates with strong background in plant molecular biology and tissue culture should apply. Selection will be based on academic achievements, reference letters and previous research experience. An on-Campus personal interview may be required. Tuition and fees waiver and a standard stipend package commensurate with your experience will be offered.
 
Send resume highlighting your experience and interests, GRE scores (TOEFL required for international students), and names and email addresses of three references to Dr. C.P. Joshi (cpjoshi@mtu.edu ), Director, Biotechnology Research Center, School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931. Please visit http://forest.mtu.edu/faculty/joshi for more information on our research programs.

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Last updated: January 3, 2008