University of Florida Dept. of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation · Florida · posted yesterday
The Wisely Lab in the University of Florida Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation is recruiting a Ph.D. student to join a multidisciplinary project developing innovative approaches for surveillance of feral swine and African swine fever virus (ASFV). The project uses mosquito bloodmeals as biological samples of free-ranging feral swine, an approach known as exogenous xenosurveillance. By treating blood-fed mosquitoes as “flying syringes,” the research team will evaluate whether mosquito bloodmeals can be used to detect feral swine, genetically identify individual animals, estimate population abundance, and support pathogen surveillance. Position responsibilities The Ph.D. student will take a leading role in the field ecology and quantitative components of the project. Responsibilities will include: · Coordinating deployment and sampling of camera traps and mosquito capture systems across wet and dry seasons. · Supervising and mentoring undergraduate researchers participating in field and laboratory activities. · Working with project collaborators to process mosquito bloodmeals and generate genetic data for individual identification of feral swine. · Developing genetic mark-recapture models to estimate feral swine abundance from mosquito-derived host DNA. · AND/OR · Developing occupancy/detection models to compare the effectiveness of mosquito-based surveillance and conventional camera trapping. The student will be co-advised by Dr. Samantha Wisely, a wildlife disease ecologist in UF's Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, and Dr. Nathan Burkett-Cadena, a vector-borne disease ecologist at the UF Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory. The student will also collaborate closely with Dr. Tim Smyser of the USDA APHIS Wildlife Services National Feral Swine Damage Management Program on genomic approaches for individual identification of feral swine. The student will have the opportunity to also interact with Dr. Amy Vittor from the College of Medicine on serological assay development. An important feature of the project is the integration of research with agricultural biosecurity education. The successful candidate will work closely with a Ph.D. student specializing in science communication/agricultural education, sharing field experiences, data and scientific expertise that will inform educational materials, microcredentials and a graduate learning module in genetic mark-recapture. The science communications Ph.D. student, mentored by Dr. Grady Roberts, will lead development of the educational products; this position will contribute scientific content and collaborate on their development but will not lead the project's education component. Minimum qualifications Applicants should have: · A bachelor's or master's degree in wildlife ecology, ecology, entomology, biology, quantitative ecology, disease ecology, or a related field. · Previous experience conducting ecological field research. · Demonstrated interest in wildlife population ecology, wildlife disease, quantitative ecology, or wildlife surveillance. · Experience with, or strong interest in learning, population modeling and statistical analysis in R. · Ability and willingness to conduct extended fieldwork under hot, humid and physically demanding Florida conditions. · Strong organizational, written communication and teamwork skills. · Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to a highly interdisciplinary research team. Experience with camera trapping, mosquito or other arthropod sampling, molecular ecology/genetics, occupancy modeling, capture-recapture analysis, or supervision of field crews is desirable but not required. Research environment The student will join a collaborative team spanning wildlife disease ecology, entomology, genomics, infectious disease and agricultural education, with collaborators at the University of Florida and USDA APHIS Wildlife Services. The project provides an unusual opportunity for a doctoral student to integrate intensive field ecology with molecular tools and quantitative population modeling while conducting research with direct application to wildlife management and U.S. agricultural biosecurity. Location: University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, with substantial fieldwork throughout Florida. Degree: Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Advisor: Wisely, with co-advising by Nathan Burkett-Cadena This USDA AFRI funded graduate assistanceship has four years of funding and would begin in May of 2027. Please send a cv and cover letter to Samantha Wisely at wiselylab@ifas.ufl.edu by November 15, 2026.
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