Graduate Students

Graduate Student Research Assistantships in Aquatic Ecology

The Resetarits Lab at The University of Mississippi currently has openings for Fall 2021 for highly qualified PhD. as Doherty Research Assistants in Freshwater Ecology. These are newly competitive 12 month Research Assistantships in the Department of Biology, providing 5 years of support for PhD. students. Current stipend is 28-30k/year, with health insurance, and full tuition remission. Recipients are expected to design and implement independent dissertation projects (empirical and/or theoretical) at the interface between community, behavioral, and evolutionary ecology in freshwater systems, or at the freshwater/terrestrial interface, as well as participate in ongoing projects. Current studies in the Lab address a variety of questions, including the role of habitat selection in the assembly of communities and the dynamics of metacommunities, the role of diversity and species interactions in community assembly/ecosystem function, life history evolution in amphibians and insects, and biochemical, behavioral, evolution and community dynamics of chemical camouflage. Study organisms include amphibians, aquatic insects, other aquatic invertebrates, and fish, while focal habitats range from small ephemeral, coastal plain ponds to headwater mountain streams. Funding for past and ongoing research comes primarily from the The Henry L. and Grace Doherty Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and EPA/NASA.

The Resetarits Lab is based in the Department of Biology Department of Biology and housed both on campus and at the University of Mississippi Field Station (UMFS), approximately 11 miles from the main campus in Oxford. The Lab has outstanding space and facilities and access to over 200 experimental ponds and wetlands at the UMFS (check us out on Google maps UMFS, hundreds of mesocosms of various sizes for experimental work, and dedicated field vehicles. The Department of Biology at The University of Mississippi has an organismal focus, including a dynamic and growing group of ecologists and evolutionary biologists . The University of Mississippi is dedicated to fostering diversity at all levels within the University community UMDIVERSITY. Oxford is a small, dynamic, progressive community with excellent cultural amenities, great food, a fun atmosphere, and a reasonable cost of living. The University of Mississippi is one of the fastest growing Universities in the US, including targeted growth in Biology, and the campus is one of the most beautiful in the country.

Teaching assistantships are also available for qualified MS level students through the Department of Biology.

For more information contact me at the address below. To begin the application procedure, please attach a letter of interest, unofficial transcripts and GRE scores, and resume (including contact information for 3 references) to Dr. William Resetarits (wresetar@olemiss.edu).

Undergraduates

Opportunities are available for students interested in aquatic ecology (writ large). Students will assist with experimental studies and field studies examining various aspects of aquatic ecology. Work will be split between field and laboratory components. Projects include amphibian habitat selection, development, and behavior, aquatic insect habitat selection, biodiversity surveys of ponds, predator-prey experiments and others. Duties include collecting field data, maintaining the study sites and equipment, and conducting lab work. All work will at the University of Mississippi Field Station (20 minute, 11 mile drive from campus). Opportunities are available for work study positions, paid internships, unpaid internships, and BISC 491 credit. Assistants will be expected to have their own transportation to and from the field station. They should be able to withstand long hours in challenging field conditions: hot and humid environment, rain, and possibly at night (during spring and early summer). Assistants should be able to work independently with guidance from graduate students and occasionally lift heavy objects. Interested individuals should contact Dr. William Resetarits (wresetar@olemiss.edu).

Undergrads Brandon McDaniel, Zach Mitchell and Rachel Kroeger (l-r) heading out shocking with Tyler and Jason (taking photo).