We are searching for a PhD student to work on the NSF EEID funded project “Habitat and coinfection as drivers of heterogeneity in cross-scale wildlife infectious disease processes”. The successful applicant will join a multidisciplinary team using mathematical modelling, empirical experiments, and laboratory diagnostic tools to investigate the individual and interactive effects of food resources and helminth coinfections on virus infection dynamics in wildlife. The successful applicant will coordinate large field experiments using the bank vole-Puumala hantavirus system in northern Europe, and will be required to regularly travel to Finland as well as participate in national and international meetings. This is an exceptional opportunity for a highly motivated student who enjoys fieldwork and travel.

Applicants should have diverse interests in biological sciences, including wildlife biology and zoonotic infections. Previous fieldwork experience of some type is essential. Experience in laboratory diagnostics and statistical analyses will be highly regarded.

The start date is flexible, with opportunities to initially begin working on the project as a paid field assistant. Ideally, PhD enrolment will begin in January 2020. The student will be supervised by Dr Forbes in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, and be part of the new EEOB program there (https://eeob.uark.edu/). Fayetteville is located in a beautiful natural area amongst the Ozark Mountains, with a wide range of recreational activities in close proximity such as hiking, cycling, kayaking, fishing and hunting; it regularly ranks amongst top US cities to live (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fayetteville,_Arkansas).

This is an international and multidisciplinary project, and the successful applicant will also work closely with project members and collaborators, particularly co-PIs Dr Sarah Budischak (Scripps, Pitzer, and Claremont McKenna Colleges), Dr Clay Cressler (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) and Dr Richard Hall (University of Georgia).

For more information, please contact Dr Forbes at kmforbes@uark.edu. To apply, please send: 1) a cover letter of maximum one page outlining your research interests and career goals, 2) your CV and academic transcripts, and 3) contact information for three referees to the above email address. Applications will be reviewed as they are received. Please note that GRE is required for the University of Arkansas.