Graduate Research Assistantship in Ecosystem Service Valuation at Michigan State University
Michigan State University (MSU) announces the availability of a 3-year PhD research assistantship (RA) in ecosystem service valuation and program design in the Great Lakes basin. The successful applicant will join an interdisciplinary research team that is designing, testing, and implementing a pilot Payment for Environmental Services (PES) program to compensate farmers for adopting practices that benefit aquatic ecosystems.
The RA will join MSU faculty in contributing to all phases of this research. The time commitment will be 20 hours per week for a period of three years, beginning in summer of 2012. Compensation will include a stipend of least $1860 monthly, plus health benefits and a tuition waiver. Continued employment is contingent upon satisfactory performance and progress toward degree.
The successful candidate must be accepted for admission to the PhD program in either the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics (AFRE) or the Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation & Resource Studies (CARRS) at Michigan State University.
Qualifications: Candidates must meet the qualifications for admission to one of the participating PhD programs. For AFRE, required qualifications and application information can be found here. For CARRS, application details can be found here. RA candidates are expected to be motivated, interested in the role of economic institutions in environmental policy, and committed to interdisciplinary research.
Applicants should apply to one of the two PhD programs following the relevant instructions. Applications must be submitted to the Graduate School. In the academic statement, please indicate interest in this research project, along with details about your relevant experience and abilities. Review of applications will begin February 1, 2012 and will continue until a suitable candidate is identified. For more information, contact in AFRE: Scott Swinton (swintons@msu.edu) or in CARRS: John Kerr (jkerr@msu.edu) or Robert Richardson (rbr@msu.edu).