The Coastal Fisheries lab at Florida International University, in Miami, FL has an open PhD position For Fall 2025 (http://myweb.fiu.edu/rehagej/).
Dates: Desired start date is Fall/Summer 2025 & application deadline is February 1, 2025.
About the position: We seek a motivated student with a passion for coastal recreational fisheries and their movement ecology. Research will focus on the movement, population connectivity, and population status of Crevalle Jacks across the Gulf of Mexico and southeastern United States using acoustic telemetry and catch and abundance data. The project aims to collect actionable science to improve jack management and conservation efforts and stems from a partnership among FIU, Mississippi State University, the American Saltwater Guides Association, and the Lower Keys Guide Association. Competitive support will be a combination of research & teaching assistantships.
Preferred Qualifications: The ideal candidate has interests and/or experience in fish ecology, recreational fisheries, spatial/movement ecology, and population ecology, excellent writing and quantitative skills, and previous fish/fisheries field experience. Interest and/or experience in science co-production, stakeholder engagement and partnerships with anglers and fishing guides are desired. A Master’s degree, previous research experience in population and/or movement ecology, experience coding in R, and prior publications are also a plus.
About our labs: We are a passionate team of ecologists interested in understanding how fishes and recreational fisheries respond to human and natural disturbance. Our approach to tackling fish research focuses on both understanding process and pattern, and we thrive in conducting studies that blend these to inform management, conservation, and restoration efforts in partnership with stakeholders, coproducing science that is both fundamental and actionable. We are part of a highly collaborative south Florida research community, composed of scientists, and federal, state, private partners, and stakeholders (http://fcelter.fiu.edu/).
To apply: Please contact Dr. Jenn Rehage at rehagej@fiu.edu & Dr. Marcus Drymon at marcus.drymon@msstate.edu. In your email, please include 1) a cover letter (describing research interests, experience, and fit to project & lab), 2) a CV and 3) other supporting documents that demonstrate research interests/experience (transcripts, publications/presentations, popular articles/writing samples, etc.). Please combine these into a single PDF and use ‘Jack PhD applicant 2025 + your name’ as the subject line in your email. Deadline for applications in the Earth & Environment Dept at FIU is February 1, 2025. Details on the application process are here: https://case.fiu.edu/earth-environment/phd-in-earth-systems-science/index.html.
About our university: FIU is Miami’s public research university and one of the youngest R1 research universities (highest research activity) in the US. FIU is also the largest majority-minority serving institution in the country, and ranked the second most impactful university in the nation, the No. 3 best public university in the US, and among the top 20 public universities contributing to the public good. FIU is leading the science to preserve & protect Life Below Water by being ranked # 3 in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 14.
