Dr. David Kaplan is recruiting a student to work on the 2021 National Wetland Condition Assessment. Assistantship includes stipend, tuition & benefits. Applicants should send CV and brief statement (less than 500 words) to dkaplan@ufl.edu by January 15th, 2021.

Beginning in 2021, the H.T. Odum Center for Wetlands at UF will be implementing Florida’s participation in the National Wetlands Condition Assessment (NWCA), a collaborative survey that examines the chemical, physical and biological integrity of US wetlands. The MS student hired through this program will participate in intensive field monitoring to assess the ecological integrity of >50 wetlands across the state of Florida. Students will receive training in field data collection and analysis techniques from the EPA and UF faculty. Fieldwork will begin in May 2021 and include multi-day travel, long field days, and challenging conditions (heat, insects, strenuous physical conditions). Applicants must be available for the field season beginning May 1, 2021, and attendance at EPA-led trainings (dates TBD).

Ideal applicants will have a strong background in wetland ecology, hydrology, soil science, and/or biology, excellent written and oral communication skills, and a demonstrated potential to conduct intensive, field-based research as part of an interdisciplinary team. Experience in science communication is a plus. Students will be encouraged to use field data collected, as well as a large database of previously collected NWCA data, to motivate their own research, but will also have the flexibility to pursue relevant and complementary topics.