UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA WATER INSTITUTE
GRADUATE FELLOWS PROGRAM
Ph.D. Fellowships to Investigate Beneficial Use of Reclaimed Water
Program Details: The School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE) at the University of Florida is accepting applications for a prestigious UF Graduate Fellowship Award to begin in August 2021 under the supervision of Dr. AJ Reisinger in the Urban Ecosystem Ecology Lab. This fellowship is part of an interdisciplinary collaborative study on the beneficial use of reclaimed water (RW) in Florida. The successful applicant will join a cohort of five total PhD fellows spanning various disciplines. This cohort of students will develop and enable interdisciplinary investigations and share learning experiences with their advisors and other faculty participating in the program. The cohort will benefit from integrative activities to enhance interdisciplinary skills, including a shared seminar course, reading and discussion groups, joint proposal and manuscript development, and a team-building field trip to visit RW production and use sites of national significance.
Fellowship Details: Each Fellowship provides four years of competitive 12-month stipend, plus tuition waiver and health care.
Potential dissertation topical areas: Multiple units at the University of Florida are involved in the program, providing opportunities for linking disciplinary work in the areas of agriculture, bioengineering, biogeochemistry, and human-environmental geography. Specific topics for dissertation research are open but in general the fellow working with Dr. Reisinger will focus on potential benefits and impacts of using reclaimed water in residential landscapes and effects on water quality, particularly taking a watershed-perspective to focus on traditional (i.e., nitrogen, phosphorus) and emerging (i.e., pharmaceuticals and personal care products) contaminants and their effects on biogeochemical processes in urban ecosystems.
Who Should Apply: Prospective doctoral students with background and interests in one or more of the following areas are encouraged to apply: biogeochemistry; coupled natural-human systems; ecosystem ecology; nutrient dynamics; or analytical chemistry. Although not required, applicants with either an MS degree and/or substantial research experience in ecosystem ecology, environmental chemistry, biology, or related fields, are preferred. The University of Florida, The UF Water Institute, the School of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Reisinger Lab are committed to supporting and expanding the diversity, equity, and inclusion of STEM, and therefore especially encourage BIPOC applicants and/or applicants from other underrepresented groups.
Information: Due to privacy restrictions, interested applicants must apply separately to both the Water Institute and the School of Natural Resources and Environment. Additional information on the 2021 WIGF program can be found at: https://bit.ly/35UbBdg. SNRE application information is available at https://snre.ifas.ufl.edu/academics/graduate/how-to-apply/how-to-apply-g.... Online applications are due to the Water Institute by January 15, 2021 (12:00 PM EST) and to SNRE by February 1. Questions can be addressed to Dr. AJ Reisinger (reisingera@ufl.edu). Questions about the larger collaborative research project can be addressed to Dr. Reisinger and inquiries related to the UF Water Institute Graduate Fellows Program may be addressed to Karen Schlatter (kschlatter@ufl.edu).