1-2 Ph.D. and Postdoc Positions in Quantitative Ecology

1-2 Ph.D. Students and one postdoc positions are available in the Li lab https://www.dlilab.com/ at LSU 

Ph.D. students will have guaranteed funding for up to 6 years (~3 years Teaching Assistantship and ~3 years Research Assistantship) and there is NO GRE requirement for admission. The application packets for fall 2024 enrollment are due January 3rd, 2024. Application instructions can be found at https://www.lsu.edu/science/biosci/programs/graduate/prospective-student.php

Potential research projects would be centered on investigating how environmental changes such as climate change and urbanization have affected biodiversity and/or phenology of multiple taxonomic groups using both field research and data science approaches (e.g. statistics, machine learning). New students will be encouraged to develop their own research projects along the research directions described above or start new relevant research directions.

Major duties of the postdoc positions include developing machine learning methods to extract phenological information (e.g., presence/absence of leaf, flower, fruit) from images such as photographs uploaded to iNaturalist and digitized specimens; building software to integrate existing phenological records from different networks as well as the extracted phenological data into a central phenology databases (PhenoBase). See https://lsu.wdl.myworkdaysjobs.com/LSU/job/1079-Digital-Media-Center/Research-Data-Scientist--IT-Analyst-3-_R00074121-1 for more details. 

Selecting a lab and adviser that suits your interests and needs is critical for your success. We are a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive lab as part of the Department of Biological Science and the Center for Computation & Technology at Louisiana State University, which is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. Please see the lab website https://www.dlilab.com/ for more details. 

Applicants from various backgrounds will be considered, including biology, ecology, statistic, computer science, or related discipline. Applicants from underserved groups in STEM are especially encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to students that have completed an M.S. degree. Prospective students thus should contact Dr. Li via email dli30@lsu.edu using "Ph.D. position fall 2024" or "Postdoc position" as the subject header to discuss possibilities before applying for the program. in the email, please include a CV, a 1-2 page cover letter with research interests and experiences, and a scientific writing example if possible