Position Description: The UConn NRE Ecohydrology lab (http://www.jamesknightonhydrology.com/ ) is recruiting one full-time Master’s student with a start date of January 1, 2027. The position is fully funded to carry out research on tree water uptake in mixed-species forested settings across 2 years.

Overview: The graduate student will work in the Ecohydrology Lab under the supervision of Associate Professor James Knighton and collaborate with scientists from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC). Our research project involves the collection of soil and plant samples from the SERC BioDiversiTree experiment, which comprises over 70 forested plots of varying complexity. We will analyze the isotopic composition of the water in each plot to estimate how forest diversity impacts water uptake strategies. The student will participate in team meetings with SERC and other partner institutions. We will communicate our research findings to these organizations and discuss the potential for integration of research into further on-farm environmental management efforts. The prospective student will also gain experience in teaching and grant writing.

Compensation: Information on UConn MS student compensation is publicly available here: https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/sps/proposals/proposal-preparation/general-costprinciples/budgeting-costing-guide/salaries/

Minimum Qualifications: 

• BA/BS degree in hydrology, environmental science, agricultural engineering, civil engineering, environmental engineering, geography, or a related field.
• Meets all requirements of the graduate school: https://grad.uconn.edu/admissions/requirements/

Preferred qualifications: 

• Prior coursework on hydrology and environmental science
• Experience with R, Matlab, or Python.
• Laboratory experience working with soil and plant samples