Ph.D. Assistantship to assess freshwater macroinvertebrate responses to Hurricane Helene - Clemson University
Compensation:
- $35,000 per year (plus 2% annual cost-of-living increase) for up to 5 years
- Full tuition waiver
- Start date: Summer (preferred) or Fall, 2026
Background: Tropical Storm Helene caused widespread flooding, landslides, and destruction across the southern Appalachian region in September 2024. These impacts caused long-term and potentially permanent changes to the distribution, structure, and function of terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Field evaluations and monitoring are required to understand how baseline ecological conditions changed following these large-scale, geological changes in terrestrial and aquatic habitats. PhD students working on this project will be part of a larger team working to monitor and assess terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems impacted by Tropical Storm Helene. This dynamic and multi-disciplinary team at Clemson University has expertise across the fields of forestry, wildlife, fisheries, entomology, and fire ecology. Team members will work closely with federal, state, and nongovernmental organizations to communicate findings and inform ongoing, on-the-ground restoration and recovery efforts aimed at focal species, ecosystems, and important forest resources.
Position overview: We are seeking an enthusiastic Ph.D. student to assess Hurricane Helene’s impacts on macroinvertebrates in the Davidson River, a popular trout stream in Pisgah National Forest, and to develop ongoing monitoring protocols that may be implemented by management agencies and any needed remediation measures. The student will enroll in Clemson’s doctoral program in Entomology. Specific target taxa for this project will include freshwater insects and other macroinvertebrates for which community structure and function may have changed in response to the hurricane, and an upgrade for a fish hatchery on the River that was completed since a baseline study undertaken in 2016–17. The student will design and conduct field sampling and laboratory analysis, aiming to quantify differences between the ‘before’ data and those found through new sampling post-Hurricane and post-hatchery renovation. Studies will incorporate abiotic data layers as potential explanatory variables. Prior work in the PI’s lab for the 2016–17 study will form the basis for the comparison. The project will inform any needed remediation recommendations and advice for ongoing assessment. This study will be coordinated with parallel assessments of potentially impacted vertebrate, invertebrate, and abiotic parameters of stream and riparian forest structure and function.
Candidates must have:
- MS degree in entomology, biology, wildlife studies, or a closely related field.
- Sufficient qualifications to be accepted for enrollment into the Ph.D. program in Entomology.
- Experience with freshwater macroinvertebrate field sampling, identification, and data analysis (taxonomic and ecological).
- Strong background in statistical analysis/environmental modelling preferred.
Prior to application, interested candidates should contact the PI, Dr. John Morse (jmorse@clemson.edu), to indicate interest and summarize qualifications.
Applications must then be submitted through the Clemson Graduate School portal.
To qualify for supplemental fellowship funding, applications must include a one-page research prospectus (what the applicant envisions doing as a dissertation project, e.g., stemming from the project findings or other topics of personal interest) and be submitted by 15 January 2026.
For more details, see: https://www.clemson.edu/cafls/academics/graduate/entomology-awards.html. Non-fellowship applications may be submitted through April 1, 2026.