A fully funded PhD scholarship is available as part of a Marsden funded project working on understanding lags in ecosystem recovery following shellfish mass mortality from heat waves. The research will use insights from shellfish mass mortality events in New Zealand to test ecological theory of hysteresis and disturbance-recovery dynamics. The mechanism causing mortality is clear; extreme physiological stress. However, shellfish population monitoring shows that recovery, even a decade later, has not proceeded as expected. Recovery lags after shellfish mass mortality therefore challenge our understanding of ecological theory describing ecosystem recovery. We believe that the observed recovery lags are a real-world manifestation of hysteresis – a theory that emphasizes the importance of bio-physical feedbacks and interactions that slow or block recovery.
It is anticipated that this PhD project will begin by using field experiments and sampling along environmental gradients designed to test hypotheses and unravel the biophysical causes of ecosystem recovery lags in shellfish dominated marine soft sediments. This project will be under the supervision of Dr Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher (Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland), Prof Judi Hewitt (Department of Statistics, University of Auckland) and Prof Simon Thrush (Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland).
The student will join a productive research group with access to world-class laboratory and field equipment, as well as well-established connections with researchers throughout New Zealand and internationally, allowing the PhD candidate to be exposed to multiple opportunities. The PhD scholarship will fully cover the student’s stipend and fees. The candidate can choose to be based at either the university’s Auckland city campus or at the Leigh Marine Laboratory (approx. one hour north of Auckland).
Candidates must meet the entry requirements for the doctoral program at the University of Auckland (https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/study/study-options/find-a-study-option/doctor-of-philosophy-phd.html), including having an Honours or MSc degree, ideally in marine ecology or a related discipline, but background is not as important as a keen interest in ecological processes and field ecology. Scholarship applications will remain open until filled, but ideally the candidate would start around 1st March 2021.
To apply for the position, potential candidates need to send a CV, a copy of their academic transcript and a brief (max 1 page) statement of research interests, including how they align with the proposed research area, to Dr Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher (rebecca.gladstone-gallagher@auckland.ac.nz). Potential applicants may also email Rebecca for more information before applying.
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