Graduate Assistantships and Fellowships

The University of South Alabama Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences has several openings for qualified students who want to advance their education in marine and environmental sciences. South and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab have an international reputation in graduating talented and highly competitive graduate students. 

Ph.D. and M.S. in Marine Sciences Opportunities at South and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab

The University of South Alabama offers a limited number of graduate fellowships for highly competitive students seeking Ph.D.s as well as extramurally supported graduate assistantship and university-based teaching assistantships for M.S. and Ph.D. students. All fellowships and assistantships offer competitive pay ($19,000 – $24,000), student health insurance and tuition remission. 

Interested students are encouraged to contact prospective faculty mentors and apply by February 15, 2023 for full consideration. Students may be based in newly renovated facilities on South’s campus in Mobile or at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Students should contact advisors as soon as possible to attend a recruitment weekend in late January.

Additional fellowships are available through the Dauphin Island Sea Lab-FDA Joint Fellowship Program, which enables students to work collaboratively with faculty from both institutions on research that informs seafood safety and public health. Click here to learn more. The deadline for applications is December 31, 2022.

Other Assistantships

PhD Graduate Assistantship – stable isotopes and food web modeling
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Salary: $30,000 per year, plus tuition

Applications Due By:  open until filled

Start Date: Fall 2023

Description: There is a lack of trophic data needed to understand ecosystem dynamics, monitor ecosystem status, and support ecosystem-based fisheries management. Diet data from stomach content analysis (SCA) are required by most ecosystem models but can be prohibitively time consuming and expensive to acquire.  Stable isotope (SI) data are easier to acquire but are not yet compatible with existing ecosystem models. In addition, appropriate sample sizes and sampling regimes for collecting trophic data have yet to be established.  The overall goal of this project is to facilitate the shift toward EBFM by optimizing the large-scale collection of fish trophic data in the GOM. The student will be expected to 1) integrate SI information into existing ecosystem models of the Gulf of Mexico; and 2) conduct simulation experiments to optimize trophic data collection.  The student will be advised by Drs. David Chagaris and Will Patterson at the University of Florida, and will collaborate with NOAA scientists at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center. 

Qualifications:   The student must have an MS degree (or equivalent) in biology, ecology, fisheries, or related field with a GPA of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 system).  Preference will be given to students with a strong quantitative background, proficiency with the R statistical computing software, and an interest in stable isotope ecology, trophic dynamics, or ecosystem modeling.  

Contact:  For questions about the opportunity please email Dr. David Chagaris, dchagaris@ufl.edu.  To be considered for the position provide a letter of interest, current CV, unofficial transcripts, GRE scores (optional), and contact information of three references.