[ES_JOBS_NET] PhD opportunities in Environmental Studies at UC Santa Cruz

[Kai Zhu]

Dr. Kai Zhu is recruiting 1-2 PhD student(s) starting in Fall 2021 in the
Department of Environmental Studies at the University of California, Santa
Cruz.

The Zhu Lab works on research questions at the intersection of climate
change, biodiversity, and ecosystem processes, using quantitative
approaches such as remote sensing, species distribution models, and
Bayesian statistical methods. Current research projects include (1)
phenological responses to climate change and human activity in the Northern
Hemisphere; (2) the biogeography of soil fungi in North America; and (3)
wildfire propagation and forest regrowth in California. The Zhu Lab also
collaborates with other research groups, such as the Peay Lab at Stanford
University (https://mykophile.com) through a collaborative NSF grant (
https://news.ucsc.edu/2019/09/zhu-nsf.html). More information is available
at https://zhulab.ucsc.edu/.

Students are encouraged to develop their own projects, which is an
essential part of their advancement as independent and creative
researchers. Dr. Zhu expects students to have previous research experience
and a strong background in ecology and environmental science, as well as
math, statistics, and programming. However, in the Zhu Lab students will
learn new methods and tools by attending classes, workshops, and working on
projects, so the most important quality is the willingness to learn.

The PhD program in Environmental Studies is explicitly interdisciplinary,
with expectations to engage in both natural and social sciences coursework
and research. The department guarantees five years of support for graduate
students. Through working with faculty advisors, graduate students in
Environmental Studies have been very successful in obtaining external
funding. UC Santa Cruz ranks among the top universities (
https://news.ucsc.edu/2019/07/cwur-rankings.html) in terms of research
influence (https://news.ucsc.edu/2017/09/times-higher-ed.html) and research
quality (https://news.ucsc.edu/2019/06/rankings.html) worldwide, and it is
within a half-hour drive of the Silicon Valley. Located on the Monterey Bay
National Marine Sanctuary, Santa Cruz has numerous year-round opportunities
for outdoor recreation (sailing, surfing, mountain biking, hiking, etc.).
For information about program requirements, funding, and admissions, please
consult the graduate program coordinator Amy Profitt (envsgpc at ucsc dot
edu), the department website (
https://envs.ucsc.edu/graduate/prospective-grads/index.html), and the
Graduate School website (https://www.gradadmissions.ucsc.edu).

Interested students should contact Dr. Kai Zhu (kai dot zhu at ucsc dot
edu) as early as possible and no later than the application deadline in
December 2020 with the following information: (1) research experience,
ideas, and questions; (2) motivations to pursue a PhD and long-term career
goals; (3) why interested in the Environmental Studies Department at UCSC;
and (4) current CV, academic transcript, and TOEFL score (if applicable).
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