Empleo - Graduate Research Assistantship (PhD) in wood quality modeling and wood utilization (Arizona, USA)

Ph.D. Student opening in post-fire restoration using mosses

The School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, seeks a motivated Ph.D. student to conduct field and greenhouse experiments near Flagstaff, Arizona starting in Fall 2015. The student will be co-advised by Matthew Bowker and Pete Fulé. The student will explore the feasibility of using greenhouse cultured soil mosses as a restoration material to reduce erosion and restore hydrological function after severe wildfire.

The project will: 1. Develop best practices for ex-situ cultivation of a multi-species fire moss inoculum. 2. Determine field establishment rates of greenhouse-produced fire moss inoculum on burned soil. 3. Document the ecological roles of fire mosses in post-fire succession in Arizona ponderosa pineforests. 4. Conduct a preliminary economic feasibility analysis of a hypothetical post-fire restoration technology based on mosses. Four years of funding are available to the student (Annual stipend of $19,950, tuition remission, and student health coverage) in addition to modest project costs. The student will be strongly encouraged and helped to seek additional resources (grants, scholarships, etc.) to help extend the project.

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