Research Focus and Project Scope

The doctoral student will work on an interdisciplinary project investigating how environmental changes, watershed hydrology, and land-use practices alter stream metabolism, greenhouse gas dynamics, and aquatic nutrient cycling. Key research areas include:

• Stream Metabolism & Biogeochemistry: Studying the pathways of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus transport in forested and urban stream networks.
• Ecosystem Modeling & Data Fusion: Using long-term in situ sensor networks and hydro-climatological datasets to model aquatic ecosystem responses to extreme weather events.
• Cross-Scale Connections: Analyzing how watershed hydrology drives nutrient loading and shapes downstream river and lake food webs.

Funding and Training

• Fully funded Ph.D. assistantship, including competitive monthly stipend, full tuition waiver, and health insurance.
• Joint mentorship from Dr. Emily Bernhardt and Dr. Lauren Lowman, providing training in both field biogeochemistry and advanced numerical modeling.
• Access to state-of-the-art analytical chemistry facilities, environmental sensor networks, and high-performance computing clusters.

Preferred Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Ecology, Biogeochemistry, Hydrology, Environmental Engineering, Biology, or related field.
• Prior experience conducting aquatic field sampling or laboratory chemical analysis.
• Strong quantitative interests, with experience or willingness to learn statistical programming (especially R or Python) and data modeling.
• Excellent communication and collaborative skills.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should contact the principal investigators directly via email. Please send a single PDF containing your cover letter describing your research experiences and interest in the position, CV, unofficial academic transcripts, and contact information for two references. The application deadline is October 15, 2025.