The Castorani Lab at the University of Virginia is recruiting a PhD student to study the population dynamics of oysters on restored reefs at the Virginia Coast Reserve Long Term Ecological Research project (VCR LTER; https://vcrlter.virginia.edu/). The Virginia Coast Reserve is a temperate coastal lagoon with a 20-year legacy of oyster restoration led by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and studied by researchers at UVA and beyond (https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/virginia/stories-in-virginia/vcr-marine-restoration/). The interdisciplinary VCR LTER research program has been supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for >40 years to study the long-term dynamics of this coastal barrier-island landscape. The student will use field studies and long-term data and models from VCR LTER to study the dispersal and demography of oyster populations, contributing towards the broader goal of informing TNC restoration planning in a changing climate.

Qualifications 

At the time of enrollment, highly qualified applicants will have an undergraduate or master's degree in biology, ecology, oceanography, fisheries, or a related field. Ideal candidates will have interests in seagrass biodiversity, food webs, or species interactions; experience in field ecology; and demonstrated quantitative skills, such as data analysis or scientific programming (or a motivation to acquire such skills).