Graduate Assistantships (1 M.S. & 1 Ph.D) in "Fire, Grazing and Drought Effects on Rangeland Integrity"

"Project Description:  We are seeking 2 Graduate Students (1 M.S. and 1 Ph.D.) to be part of a research team investigating interactions of fire, grazing, and drought on rangelands at the United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service – Livestock and Range Research Laboratory (LARRL) in Miles City, MT.  The student will be in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, WY and will pursue a graduate degree in Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management.  The focus of the research is intentionally broad, encouraging establishment of new treatments and plots, but may use existing grazing treatments, grazing records, exclosures, fire treatments, soil samples, etc. and will include vegetation sampling.  Vegetation sampling could include community composition, structure, assessments of plant buds, invasive species ecology, etc.  Students will have the ability develop research questions but will also work with the research team on a variety of potential projects.  This project is jointly supported by UW and USDA-ARS.  The position could begin in January 2026 on-campus in Laramie, WY or in May 2026 at the field research site in Miles City, MT.  Academic semesters will require the students to be on-campus and summer field season will require the students to be at the field research site. Qualifications: We encourage applications from students with a BS degree in Rangeland Management, Natural Resources, Botany, Ecology, Environmental Science or a related field and a competitive GPA (>3.0) (http://www.uwyo.edu/esm/graduate/prospective/apply.html).  Experience with wildland fire, vegetation monitoring, data loggers, field data collection, and statistical analysis is preferred. Student must be physically able to perform fieldwork with little supervision, able to work well with research technicians, and have strong verbal, written, and computational skills.  We encourage applicants with previous experience and coursework in rangeland plant communities, restoration, livestock, and wildlife, and applications from underrepresented groups. Proficiency in spoken/written English, a valid US driver’s license, and the ability to pass Wyoming DMV check are needed."