Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography

http://aslo.org/employment/studentops/2014-21.html

Student Opportunity Announcements

Ph.D. Research Assistantship in Deep Life Study
Applications are encouraged for a Ph.D. Graduate Research Assistantship (up to 5 years of support) at DRIs Las Vegas campus and the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). Although enrollment in graduate school will begin in Fall of 2014, the actual start date is flexible (e.g. coursework or paid employment can start at any time). This unique position interfaces with Life Underground' (http://www.astrobio.net/pressrelease/5073/seeking-life-underground): a recently-established node of the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI, https://astrobiology.nasa.gov /nai/). The Life Underground team takes advantage of rare access to terrestrial and marine deep subsurface sites to support the development of non-invasive in situ life detection technologies, cultivate intraterrestrial life, and explore novel metabolic strategies and the thermodynamic limits of subsurface life. Key team members include distinguished researchers from, in addition to DRI, USC (Jan Amend, Katrina Edwards, Moh El-Naggar, Ken Nealson), Caltech (Victoria Orphan), JPL (Rohit Bhartia), and RPI (Yuri Gorby). Academic committee membership will come from a range of relevant researchers at UNLV and the Life Underground Team. As such, this position provides an extraordinary opportunity for early career training and networking. Thesis topics will be somewhat flexible, reflecting both individual interests and broader team objectives, but will include both laboratory and field components. Laboratory activities will support an intensive field campaign (deep drilling programs associated with Death Valley National Park, the Nevada National Security Site, and various underground locations), and utilize a range of microbiological and molecular ecological techniques.

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An aptitude and appreciation for field work, at times under challenging field conditions, is essential. This position is limited to individuals interested in the degree of Ph.D., who will receive an annual salary of about $27,000. Health insurance and a partial (~75%) tuition waiver are also provided. Enthusiastic candidates with demonstrable research and academic productivity and backgrounds in microbiology, microbial ecology, geology, bioinformatics, environmental chemistry, or a related field should apply. U.S. citizenship is preferred due to site access requirements.

For Members Travel Awards

Candidates will apply to both UNLV and DRI. Graduate applications for Fall enrollment in the UNLV School of Life Sciences are due by January 15th (http://graduatecollege.unlv.edu/admissions/). Applications through the UNLV Geoscience Program are also possible (contact Dr. Moser before applying), with a deadline of Feb 1st. In addition, DRI will require a cover letter, academic transcripts (unofficial is acceptable) and contact information for three references. The cover letter should explain in detail your personal motivations for seeking this position. For further details,

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Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography

http://aslo.org/employment/studentops/2014-21.html

contact Dr. Duane Moser, Desert Research Institute, 755 E. Flamingo Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89119, duane.moser@dri.edu. 702-862-5534. Information about DRI can be found at http://www.dri.edu/. To learn about UNLV and the School of Life Sciences (SOLS) go to http://sols.unlv.edu/.

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