[ES_JOBS_NET] PhD/MS student position - Sustainable Landscapes and Livelihoods Lab at University of Wisconsin-Madison

[Sarah E Castle]

Greetings,

I am recruiting a graduate student (PhD or MS) to start in June or September 2026 as a part of the Sustainable Landscapes & Livelihoods Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Job Ad:
PhD or MS Position Available: Sustainable Landscapes & Livelihoods Lab (Castle Research Group) in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at UW–Madison (https://castlelab.cals.wisc.edu/)

The Sustainable Landscapes & Livelihoods Lab (Castle Research Group) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is seeking a highly motivated candidate for a funded PhD or MS position. Our group is dedicated to generating the empirical evidence needed to shape policies and practices that foster resilient landscapes, equitable development, and thriving communities in Wisconsin, across the United States, and globally. Our work sits at the intersection of social-ecological systems science, data science, and spatial
analysis. The selected candidate will engage in innovative research to address complex social-ecological challenges related to land use and land use change and human well-being.

I am seeking a PhD or MS student with an interest in environmental social science for landscape diversification, monitoring and evaluation, and climate mitigation and adaptation. The selected candidate will develop a dissertation or thesis focusing on one or more of the following specialized themes:

  *   Digital Monitoring of Natural Climate Solutions & Land-Use Persistence: Developing methods to monitor the adoption, permanence, and impacts of agroforestry and other Natural Climate Solutions. This may include integrating digital (e.g., remote sensing, community-based tools) and survey-based data to verify the practice’s contributions to climate mitigation and adaptation, conservation, and local livelihoods. Research will focus on ensuring data integrity, promoting equity, and tracking indicators for market-based programs and national reporting (e.g., carbon markets, Payments for Ecosystem Services, Nationally Determined Contributions).
  *   Agroforestry Practices and Incentive Programs: Investigating the social, economic, and political factors shaping the adoption and scalability of agroforestry practices. This may include collecting qualitative or quantitative data on individual and community-level decision-making, developing geospatial indicators of social-psychological agroforestry suitability, and conducting behavioral experiments (e.g., choice experiments, contingent valuation) to assess the incentives and programs needed to encourage appropriate adoption of agroforestry practices.
  *   Geospatial Causal Inference for Climate Policy: Leveraging advanced econometric and causal inference frameworks alongside satellite imagery and spatial data to rigorously evaluate the social and ecological impacts of climate mitigation and adaptation policies at local to national scales.

The successful candidate will gain interdisciplinary training in advanced geospatial analysis and remote sensing, econometrics, and social science field work. Co-producing research with communities and developing outreach and science communications will be highly encouraged as a part of the position.

The student will be supported by a research assistantship (RA) of at least 2 years (MS) or 3 years with continued RA or teaching assistantship funding for the remainder of the student’s program (PhD). Stipend rates are based on Graduate School policies, with expected increases in the coming years. Start date is anticipated for the fall 2026 semester but an earlier start date is negotiable.
Required Qualifications:
I am seeking applicants with a strong background and curiosity for applied, problem-driven research that addresses both environmental and social challenges.

  *   A Master’s or high-achieving Bachelor’s degree.
  *   Excellent analytical, critical thinking, and communication skills and collaborative research approach.
  *   Preferred Qualifications: Experience in one or more relevant methodologies:
     *   Geospatial Analysis/Remote Sensing: Experience with satellite imagery, high-performance cloud platforms (e.g., Google Earth Engine), GIS software, and/or spatial data and statistics.
     *   Quantitative and/or Qualitative Social Science Methods: Experience with econometrics, causal inference, computational modeling, interviews, focus groups, and/or surveys.
     *   Coding and Statistics: Proficiency in languages like R, Python, or JavaScript for data analysis and modeling.

Application Instructions
Application will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning December 18, 2025. Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.
Please fill out the survey and submit the following materials electronically via the secure Qualtrics form https://uwmadison.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3dFs4Na0Fl2HJHg:

  1.  A detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV).
  2.  A compelling Statement of Purpose (SOP) (max 2 pages) outlining your research interests, prior experience, and how they align with the themes of the Castle Research Group.
  3.  Academic Transcripts (undergraduate and graduate). Optional: Upload GRE and/or TOEFL scores. Note: Academic performance will be evaluated using a holistic approach.
  4.  Contact information for three professional or academic references.

You will also need to apply to through the University of Wisconsin application portal: https://grad.wisc.edu/apply/ (Deadline is August 1, 2026 for the Forestry MS/PhD. Please apply by January 15, 2026 for full consideration for internal fellowships. There may be an opportunity apply to the Agroecology MS program or Environment and Resources MS/PhD program instead).

I am committed to and accountable for advancing diversity in Environmental Sciences and welcome applicants of any race, color, national origin, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, ability, veteran status, family or marital status, pregnancy, or political ideas to apply.

About UW–Madison and the College of Agricultural & Life Sciences
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a top public research institution located in a vibrant capital city. Madison consistently ranks among the top American cities for its quality of life and offers an ideal combination of natural beauty, stimulating cultural events, outstanding schools, and outdoor recreation. CALS is a community dedicated to advancing and sharing knowledge, discovering solutions, and promoting opportunities in food and agriculture, bioenergy, health, the environment, and human well-being. We offer a highly collaborative environment for interdisciplinary scholarship and impactful work.

Please reach out with any questions to castle3 at wisc.edu<http://castle3@wisc.edu/>.

Cheers,
Sarah Castle


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Assistant Professor, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Website: https://castlelab.cals.wisc.edu/

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