PhD Position at Univ. Alabama to Study Evolving MetaEcosystems in Alaskan Riparian Insect Communities - University of Alabama
Funding for a PhD position is available at the University of Alabama Department of Biological Sciences in the laboratories of Dr. Carla Atkinson and Dr. Jeff Lozier. The position is part of an NSF Institute, The Evolving Meta-Ecosystems (EvoME; woodwellclimate.org/evome) Institute, to investigate the resilience of Arctic organisms and ecosystems to rapid environmental change.
We are seeking a student interested in studying the physiology and traits of terrestrial and stream invertebrates (ground beetles, mayflies, stoneflies) to investigate links between community ecology, trait variation, thermal biology, and genomics across a broad latitudinal gradient in Alaska. The EvoME Institute is a 6-year project that will involve a large collaborative team, and the student’s research will help address major questions about adaptability to a warming Arctic in diverse terrestrial and aquatic species, including fish, willows, sparrows, beetles, and mayflies.
The student will get to work with a diverse and highly dynamic group of collaborators and will have the unique experience of spending their summers conducting field work at Toolik Field Station (www.uaf.edu/toolik/) in the Alaskan tundra.
Field work will include collecting live specimens to conduct experimental work in the field and lab, as well as assisting with other components of EvoME research. The ideal student will thus have experience or interest in working with insects from different taxonomic groups and be comfortable with extended field work in a remote field station setting.
The Atkinson and Lozier labs have a history of successful collaboration, and the applicant would become part of friendly and interactive lab groups in the Department of Biological Sciences at UA. Funds are available for a summer stipend and research support. Academic year stipends may require a TA-ship. The position will be available starting in the summer of 2026, but there is flexibility in the start date for qualified applicants so please apply if interested.
Interested applicants should contact Carla Atkinson (clatkinson@ua.edu) or Jeff Lozier (jlozier@ua.edu) for more information.
Atkinson Lab: atkinsonlab.ua.edu
Lozier Lab: lozierlab.ua.edu
U Alabama Biological Sciences: bsc.ua.edu
EVOME: woodwellclimate.org/evome