PhD in Tortoise Movement Ecology & Conservation

The Wildlife Society; Corpus Christi (TX); On-site; USD 24,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully funded research expenses

Tuition support

Access to state-of-the-art facilities

Job summary

The McCracken Lab at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi seeks a highly motivated PhD student to study Texas tortoise movement ecology, habitat use, and translocation biology. The position includes fieldwork in rugged South Texas habitats, laboratory analyses, and ecological modeling.

The role involves mentoring undergraduates, presenting findings at conferences, and collaborating with agencies and landowners to advance tortoise conservation.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in biology, wildlife ecology, or related field.
• Fieldwork experience in wildlife or herpetofauna.
• Data management and strong analytical skills.
• Experience with the R programming language.
• Strong written and verbal English communication.
• Ability to work independently and in interdisciplinary teams.
• Valid driver's license.

Responsibilities

• Conduct field-based research on tortoise movement ecology using GPS telemetry.
• Characterize habitat-use, resource selection, and behavior for conservation.
• Develop research questions within funded project scopes and report to funding agencies.
• Perform data analyses and prepare technical reports and manuscripts.
• Support disease prevalence investigations and population dynamics studies.
• Evaluate translocation outcomes and conservation strategies.
• Collaborate with state/federal agencies and landowners on management efforts.

Skills

R programming

Data management

Scientific communication

Team collaboration

Independent work

Self-motivation

English communication

Education

Master's degree in biology or related field

Tools

GPS telemetry

GIS

Job description

The McCracken Lab at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi seeks a highly motivated PhD student to study Texas tortoise movement ecology, habitat use, and translocation biology. The position includes fieldwork in rugged South Texas habitats, laboratory analyses, and ecological modeling.

The role involves mentoring undergraduates, presenting findings at conferences, and collaborating with agencies and landowners to advance tortoise conservation.