Research Assistantship at Southern Illinois University

Position Description:

Ph.D. Research Assistantship in the Environmental Resources and Policy program
at Southern Illinois University.

We are looking for a highly motivated graduate student at the PhD level to join
a collaborative NSF project looking at the interface between renewable energy
policy and economics, agroecosystems management, and ecosystem services,
with a particular focus on water quality and carbon. The research will involve economic
and systems modeling of agroecosystems, and the analysis of farmer’s decisions in the
bioeconomy from a variety of perspectives (economic, geographic, environmental) ,
and will be conducted by an interdisciplinary team. Quantitative aptitude,
an interest in economics and policy, and well developed verbal and written skills are necessary.
Experience with multivariate or spatial statistics preferred.

The project includes a good amount of research flexibility, and candidates interested in
the development of student-driven research questions are welcomed.

The student will enroll in the ER&P Ph.D. program. The focus of the program is addressing
sustainability issues -- meeting the economic needs of the present while maintaining the natural
capital required to meet the economic and environmental needs of the future. To this end,
the ER&P Ph.D. provides advanced inter-disciplinary training and research on physical, biological,
and social processes responsible for natural resource and environmental problems facing contemporary society.

The students will be expected to present the results of their research at regional and national
meetings and to prepare manuscripts of these findings for publication in the peer-reviewed literature.

The assistantship comes with a competitive stipend and covers the cost of tuition and fees.
Start date: Fall semester 2009.

Prior to formal application to Southern Illinois University, interested applicants are strongly
encouraged to contact Dr. Silvia Secchi (ssecchi@siu.edu) with a letter of interest,
including cumulative GPA, GRE scores if available, description of any previous research experience,
and contact information for three references. Please feel free to contact Silvia with any informal inquiries.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until a suitable applicant is found.