PhD opportunity | multi-species occupancy modelling

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PhD opportunity | multi-species occupancy modelling

Postby cooch » Fri Aug 05, 2016 10:00 am

Multi-species hierarchical models: developing a better understanding of study design and model performance

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Where: University of Massachusetts-Amherst

When: January start (but flexible)

Supervisors: Chris Sutherland (UMass-Amherst)
Simone Tenan (MUSE – Museo delle Scienze di Trento)

Applications due: 11 Sept 2016

Project description

The increasing use of the rapidly developing technology available to ecologists, wildlife professionals, and members of the public has made wildlife monitoring an accessible and widely applied practice. The great benefit of methods such as camera traps and/or hair snares is that, despite studies typically being designed with a single species of interest in mind, usually a species of conservation or management concern, they simultaneously detect multiple species that exist on the landscape. Indeed, the single-species approach to tackling ecological, conservation and management issues may not be a sustainable model given the global biodiversity crisis.

In response to an increasing shift towards a multi-species perspective of ecological systems, this PhD will broadly examine for following issues related to two popular classes of hierarchical models – occupancy models, and spatial capture-recapture models:

  • How reliable are inferences about ‘monitoring by-catch’ species using studies designed for a single species?
  • What is the optimal multi-species study design that balances the trade-off between achieving inference objectives on priority species and understanding the wider community?

Qualifications

We are looking for applicants that have an interest in both applied and quantitative ecology. There will be a strong quantitative component, so either demonstrable experience or a genuine interest in quantitative ecology is preferable. The candidate should hold a master degree ecology, wildlife biology, natural resources, statistics or a closely related field and would have a minimum experience in R. Candidates would also benefit from having a familiarity with BUGS and hierarchical models (single species or community models). We note, however, that a genuine interest in quantitative ecology goes a long way!

If you are interested in the position, or have any questions, please contact Chris (csutherland@umass.edu) or Simone (simone.tenan@muse.it). To apply, please send a cover letter and detailed CV (as a single document) to Chris (csutherland@umass.edu)
cooch
 
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