SPRUCE

NEW- Two Funded PhD Positions Available in Boreal Tree Responses to Climate Change

Two Funded PhD Positions Available in Boreal Tree Responses to Climate Change

Seeking outstanding applicants for two PhD positions investigating the combined effects of elevated CO2 concentrations and temperatures on boreal forest tree physiology. Students will be based in Dr. Danielle Way’s lab (http://daniellewayblog.wordpress.com/) in the Department of Biology at the University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario, Canada), as part of a group of students researching plant responses to climate change. The positions are funded through a recent NSERC award for three years (2018-2021), but PhD stipends are guaranteed for 4-5 years, depending on the applicant’s academic history.

The first student will help determine the impacts of combined elevated CO2 and warming on tree photosynthetic and respiratory traits at the Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Changing Environments (SPRUCE) experiment (https://mnspruce.ornl.gov/). SPRUCE is a flagship experiment for the U.S. Department of Energy, led by Oak Ridge National Lab. The student will be based in London, Ontario, Canada at the University of Western Ontario in the Department of Biology, but will work closely with scientists from Oak Ridge National Lab and the University of Minnesota during summer measurement campaigns in Minnesota in 2019 and 2020.

The second student will be responsible for leading a glasshouse experiment at the Biotron Centre for Experimental Climate Change Research (https://www.uwo.ca/sci/research/biotron/) at the University of Western Ontario, investigating how combinations of elevated CO2 concentrations and temperatures impact photosynthetic and respiratory traits in eight boreal species.

Both students will also have the opportunity to interact with researchers from the Canadian Forest Service, who are collaborators on the project.

Applicants should create a single pdf that includes a cover letter, curriculum vitae, unofficial transcripts, and contact information for three references. Please email the pdf as an attachment to Dr. Danielle Way (dway4@uwo.ca) with “PhD position in boreal climate change” in the subject line.

Desirable applicants will be invited to apply for admission to the graduate program in the Department of Biology at the University of Western Ontario, preferably with a January 2019 start date.