ELIGIBILITY:

Qualifications: M.S. in biology, ecology, GIS, or similar; quantitative skills; interest in landscape and aquatic science; and excellent work ethics. Must have a desire to work in a collaborative and supportive graduate student community.  A GPA of 3.2+ is desired. 

Responsibilities: The incumbent will develop a research project aimed at understanding the thermal environments experienced by cold-water species such as Atlantic salmon and brook trout in Maine.  This may include areas of significant restoration importance, such as the Piscataquis River, and other regions with dams. There will be significant flexibility in developing study questions, and approaches using thermal imagery. Work may be collaboratively developed with national, international, and tribal researchers. Experience in field ecology, GIS and database management is desirable—a willingness to learn is a necessity. Good communication skills are essential.  The incumbent will work with many partners (State of Maine, federal, tribal and NGOs), and be responsible for frequent reporting. The student will be advised by both Drs. Christina Murphy and Joe Zydlewski.  One to two semesters of TA support are anticipated. All interested individuals, including non-traditional and underrepresented groups, are encouraged to apply. 

Contact: Please send a cover letter, CV, transcripts, three references (names and contact only) and GRE scores/percentiles (optional). Please direct questions and applications to Joe Zydlewski (email josephz@maine.edu) with the heading “Thermal”. 

Links: https://umaine.edu/mainecoopunit/; https://umaine.edu/graduate/ 

Closing date: Review will begin December 31, 2025, with an anticipated starting date of May 1, 2026, or as arranged. 

BENEFIT:

Salary: $30,000 per year, $3,157 health, and $7,241 tuition (estimated). Funding is renewed annually; 4.5 years is anticipated.