MS positions, Salmonid ecology — Cal Poly Humboldt Fisheries Biology
Darren Ward’s lab at Cal Poly Humboldt is recruiting two MS students for fall 2025:
Project 1: Cutthroat and steelhead trout life history and response to habitat restoration in Redwood Creek.
Redwood Creek (Redwood National Park, Humboldt County) is a stronghold for salmonid populations on the north coast of California. Recent, large scale habitat improvement efforts and associated monitoring are focused on anadromous coho and Chinook salmon. This student’s thesis research will integrate with ongoing salmon population monitoring efforts to assess the life history and habitat use of cutthroat and steelhead trout. A primary focus will be quantifying movements between stream habitat and Redwood Creek’s estuarine lagoon and determining the fate of trout that use the lagoon.
Project 2: Juvenile salmonid life history in newly accessible Klamath River tributaries
In 2024, dam removal on the Klamath River provided renewed access to historic spawning areas for anadromous salmon and trout. Jenny and Shovel creeks are two tributaries with very different abiotic habitat where anadromous fish are now spawning for the first time in generations. This student’s research will integrate with other monitoring efforts to determine how juvenile life histories of anadromous salmonids differ between these two streams in the first few cohorts to spawn after dam removal.
Minimum qualifications:
• B.S. in fisheries, natural resources, marine biology, biology, ecology, statistics, or a related field
• Qualified for acceptance to M.S. program in Natural Resources - Fisheries Concentration at Cal Poly Humboldt
• Strong writing and communication skills
• Ability to conduct field work in challenging conditions
• Willing and able to drive to remote field sites on a regular basis
Preferred Qualifications:
• Field experience with juvenile salmonids or other small stream fish, including capture, handling, and PIT tagging
• Experience working with and analyzing large datasets of fish capture and detection records
• Strong quantitative and statistical skills; experience with R, MARK, or other software for analyzing capture-recapture data
• Experience working with diverse cooperators from multiple organizations
Depending on the position, the student will be supported by hourly wages or a stipend totaling approximately $25,000/year and partial support for tuition. To apply, send a cover letter, CV, and unofficial transcripts to Darren Ward at dw193@humboldt.edu. Use the subject line “graduate application” in your submission. In your cover letter, please indicate which position you are interested in. Initial review will begin 12 February 2025. After review, the selected candidates will need to apply to the university, but that application will be outside of the university’s regular admission timeline.