Southern Illinois University · Illinois · posted today
Two (2) MS Assistantships – Wild Turkey Gobbling Chronology and Nesting Phenology – Southern Illinois University Agency: Southern Illinois University Location: Carbondale, Illinois Job Category: Graduate Assistantships Salary: $22k/yr + tuition and student health care access; up to 3 years of support Start Date: May 2026 Last Date to Apply: Review of applications begins Nov 30th. For full consideration, submit by Nov 29th. Open until Filled. Link to apply: PEASE Lab - Wild Turkey Gobbling Chronology and Nesting Phenology – Fill out form Website: peaselab.com | https://bastillerousseau.wixsite.com/research --- Two MS Graduate Research Assistantships are available starting May 2026 in the PEASE Lab (peaselab.com) at Southern Illinois University to continue our statewide wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) ecology and management project. One student will lead efforts on gobbling chronology, and the other student will lead efforts on nesting phenology. The students will be co-advised by Drs. Brent Pease and Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau at Southern Illinois University. One student will focus on wild turkey gobbling chronology. The student will lead field efforts using autonomous recording units (ARUs) to document spatial and/or temporal variation in gobbling chronology (e.g., Kreh et al., 2023 Wildlife Society Bulletin). The focus of this research is to assess timing of male gobbling across Illinois to determine whether current spring harvest season regulations (e.g., timing, zoning, and length of spring harvest seasons) are aligned with timing of gobbling and then provide regulatory recommendations. Addition work will focus on identifying environmental drivers of variation in gobbling chronology as well as methodological work in ARUs, species identification from audio recordings, and/or continued ongoing work within our lab on population estimation (e.g., abundance) via ARU recordings. One student will focus on wild turkey nesting phenology. The student will lead trapping efforts to tag hens with GPS transmitters to document spatial and/or temporal variation in nesting phenology as well as spatial ecology of turkeys in southern Illinois. Primary field duties include capture and affixing GPS radiotags, monitoring hen survival and nesting and brooding success, and identifying local and landscape factors contributing to movement patterns. Research will emphasize general spatial ecology and population ecology (e.g., movement, space-use, survival, etc.). This is a well-funded, multi-agency research project, and the graduate students will be expected to assist in hiring and managing field technicians to support the data collection efforts. Additionally, although research questions will be unique among the selected students, their field work will be complimentary, and all individuals will be expected to contribute to all wild turkey research activities carried out. The successful applicants will have (1) obtained B.S. degree in wildlife, ecology, biology, forestry, zoology, or related fields; (2) knowledge of wild turkey ecology; (3) interest in developing quantitative skills with experience using a variety of data types and models; (4) interest in developing knowledge of program R and spatial software (e.g., QGIS, ArcGIS); (5) a driver's license and ability to conduct independent field work in difficult conditions (e.g., steep terrain, poison ivy, ticks); (6) strong oral and written communication skills, and (7) a cooperative, team-oriented mindset eager to carry out wildlife research and address key problems in wildlife conservation and management. Contact Person: Brent Pease Contact Email: bpease1[at]siu[dot]edu Please see the PEASE lab website (https://peaselab.com/) and the SIU Forestry Program’s homepage (https://forestry.siu.edu) for more information on our research and academic department. --- To apply, complete the linked form and upload your cover letter/CV. PEASE Lab - Wild Turkey Gobbling Chronology and Nesting Phenology – Fill out form For full consideration, your form should be submitted no later than November 29. Review of applications will begin on November 30. No email necessary to be considered for the position. If you have questions, please feel free to contact Brent Pease at email address above.
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