Funding has been obtained from the Australian Research Council for a
3-year project studying the effects of climate-driven range extensions
of tropical coral reef fishes on temperate Australian coastal
ecosystems. I am seeking several excellent prospective PhD students to
participate in various parts of the project.
Projects summary:
We tackle the Research Priority ?Environmental change? by innovatively
analysing a long-term dataset to reveal the drivers of successful native
invasions, experimentally evaluating their effect on fish diversity and
productivity, and developing holistic models that forecast their impacts
on the near-future distribution and stocks of inshore fisheries species.
In a changing world where many people depend on oceans for food and
livelihood, predicting the future distribution of fisheries species is
one of the big challenges we face. Many inshore fisheries species are
being stressed simultaneously by native invasions and ocean warming, but
rigorous empirical data and models that can provide reliable forecasts
of these impacts are lacking.
The project involves field work and/or experimental lab work in Adelaide
and along the east coast of Australia (New South Wales), and is a
collaborative project between the University of Adelaide, University of
Technology Sydney and the University of the Sunshine Coast. Multiple PhD
projects are available on behavioural ecology, food-web dynamics
(including stable isotope analysis), otolith bio-chronology, community
dynamics, population biology, ecophysiology, and (aut)ecology, all of
which with a focus on the above project objectives.
Research funding is available to support several PhD projects but
candidates need to obtain a scholarship to cover their tuition and
living expenses. International candidates can apply for an IPRS or ASI
scholarship through the University of Adelaide (next deadline: 31 Jan
2017) while domestic candidates (Australian and New Zealand citizens and
Permanent Residents of Australia) can apply for an Australian
Postgraduate Award (next deadline: 31 May 2017). Applicants with funding
from other sources are also welcome to apply. Only excellent candidates
will be invited to apply for these competitive scholarships. Successful
international scholarship applicants typically have at least a few
scientific articles in reputable peer-reviewed journals (with high ISI
impact factor), with at least one as lead author. Other requirements are
high B.Sc./M.Sc. grades, excellent writing skills, good referee reports,
relevant research experience, and being able to operate successfully in
a team. Applicants should be native English speakers or show recent
evidence of English language proficiency (e.g. TOEFFL, IELTS).
The University of Adelaide is a research-intensive university, and one
of Australia?s top eight Universities. The School of Biological Sciences
has strong expertise across the disciplines of marine ecology and global
change biology (www.marinebiology.adelaide.edu.au). Successful
candidates will join a dynamic group of students and academics working
on climate change at the School. They will perform research leading to a
Doctoral degree in Marine Biology.
To apply: Send your cover letter, CV, list of publications, and
Bachelors/Masters/Honours transcripts to Prof Ivan Nagelkerken
(ivan.nagelkerken@adelaide.edu.au;
http://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/ivan.nagelkerken) before 16
January 2017. Applications will also be considered after this date for
the next rounds of scholarships later this year.
—
Prof. Ivan Nagelkerken
Southern Seas Ecology Laboratories, Darling Building, DX 650 418
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide
Adelaide SA 5005, Australia
E-mail: ivan.nagelkerken@adelaide.edu.au | Skype: ivan.nagelkerken
Phone: +61-8-8313-4137 | Mobile: +61-477-320-551
Homepage: http://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/ivan.nagelkerken
Google scholar: http://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=Qyjutx8AAAAJ&hl=en