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Graduate Assistantships: Biogeochemistry, Stream Ecology, and Hydrology at UNC Charlotte, NC

Come work with me!

Research assistantships are available at the MS or Ph.D. level at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to participate in a recently funded NSF project investigating the effects of stormwater management on ecosystem function in urban watersheds. The overall goal is to better understand and predict the impacts of stormwater BMPs on receiving streams over a range of spatial and temporal scales through a combination of field based research and watershed scale ecological modeling. This interdisciplinary project will link (1) mass-balance based monitoring of individual BMPs, (2) ecosystem processes (nutrient uptake, metabolism, temperature and biological indices) in the receiving stream and (3) monitored and modeled watershed outputs of flow, nitrogen, and carbon.

Applicants interested in aquatic biogeochemistry, hydrology, stream ecology and/or watershed modeling are encouraged to apply. Students will have flexibility to develop independent research questions within the context of this project that broadly address the interactions among hydrology, biogeochemistry and ecology in aquatic ecosystems.

Qualifications: degree in biology, ecology, environmental engineering, hydrology or related field is required. Successful applicants should have a strong interest in working in an interdisciplinary research environment, be creative, motivated and capable of working well both independently and cooperatively and possess strong communication and quantitative skills. Competitive stipends and tuition waivers are available for highly motivated students. For more information on admission requirements and deadlines, visit http://graduateschool.uncc.edu. Additional information about the McMillan Lab can be found at http://www.coe.uncc.edu/~smcmil10. Opportunities exist for collaboration with the labs of Sandra Clinton and Anne Jefferson at UNC Charlotte who are collaborators on the project.

Interested students with strong motivation to succeed in research should contact Sara McMillan via email (smcmillan@uncc.edu). Please submit a statement of career goals and research interests, full CV, unofficial transcripts and GRE scores, and contact information for three potential references. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until suitable candidates are found. The anticipated start date is flexible, but should be sometime between January and August 2011.

5 Responses to "Graduate Assistantships: Biogeochemistry, Stream Ecology, and Hydrology at UNC Charlotte, NC"

The science of streams in the city | Highly Allochthonous says:

September 22, 2010 at 9:10 am

[…] considering graduate school and are interested in hydrology, stream ecology, or biogeochemistry, check out the project description and application instructions here. […]
The Science of Streams in the City « Watershed Hydrogeology Blog says:

September 22, 2010 at 12:45 pm

[…] Along with colleagues Sara McMillan and Sandra Clinton at UNC Charlotte and Christina Tague at UCSB, I’ll be looking at the effects of stormwater management practices on urban headwater streams. We’re taking an interdisciplinary approach that combines hydrology, temperature, water quality, nutrient processing, and macroinvertebrate assemblages through field measurements and modeling. We’re interested in whether the flow and water quality benefits of stormwater management that are seen by comparing pond inflow and outflow actually translate into differences in ecosystem function in the receiving streams. And we’re looking for graduate students to come work with us and help us find the answers. If you are considering graduate school and are interested in hydrology, stream ecology, or biogeochemistry, check out the project description and application instructions here. […]
ScienceOnline2010 – interview with Anne Jefferson | A Blog Around The Clock says:

October 12, 2010 at 10:51 am

[…] I’m fascinated by the way that surface water, groundwater and landscapes interact at all timescales, from a single rain storm to millions of years. What controls whether a rain drop ends up running over or through the soil into a stream channel within hours to weeks versus sinking down and becoming groundwater that spends years to centuries underground before maybe emerging in that same stream at a spring? How does that partitioning of water between surface and ground affect the way landscapes erode? And how does that partitioning affect the hydrologic behavior of streams and their sensitivity to floods, droughts, and climate change? Those are the sorts of questions I began exploring in the geologically young volcanic rocks of Oregon and I’m now trying to translate to the old, fractured crystalline rocks of North Carolina. Plus, Iiving in the rapidly growing Southeast, I’ve begun asking how human landscapes overlay on natural hydrologic processes. I’m really excited about a project I’m working on with a stream biogeochemist and ecologist to look at how stormwater management practices affect the hydrology, temperature, and ecology of small urban streams. (Come work with me on the project!) […]
ScienceOnline2010 – interview with Anne Jefferson « Science in the Triangle says:

October 13, 2010 at 9:52 pm

[…] Tell us a little more about your career trajectory so far: interesting projects past and present? I’m fascinated by the way that surface water, groundwater and landscapes interact at all timescales, from a single rain storm to millions of years. What controls whether a rain drop ends up running over or through the soil into a stream channel within hours to weeks versus sinking down and becoming groundwater that spends years to centuries underground before maybe emerging in that same stream at a spring? How does that partitioning of water between surface and ground affect the way landscapes erode? And how does that partitioning affect the hydrologic behavior of streams and their sensitivity to floods, droughts, and climate change? Those are the sorts of questions I began exploring in the geologically young volcanic rocks of Oregon and I’m now trying to translate to the old, fractured crystalline rocks of North Carolina. Plus, Iiving in the rapidly growing Southeast, I’ve begun asking how human landscapes overlay on natural hydrologic processes. I’m really excited about a project I’m working on with a stream biogeochemist and ecologist to look at how stormwater management practices affect the hydrology, temperature, and ecology of small urban streams. (Come work with me on the project!) […]
The blog’s 2010 in review « Watershed Hydrogeology Blog says:

January 2, 2011 at 8:21 am

[…] Graduate Assistantships: Biogeochemistry, Stream Ecology, and Hydrology at UNC Charlotte, NC September 2010 2 […]

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