The Department of Geography at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is accepting applications for a fully funded Graduate Research Assistantship at the doctoral (preferred) or masters level beginning in spring 2019 or Fall 2019. This position will be in direct support of a project “Anticipatory Interdiction of Narco-Trafficking Networks”. Recently supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), this project will study how U.S. counterdrug efforts designed to
disrupt Central American cocaine trafficking networks influence citizen security in the region and in the U.S.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until December 15, 2018 for Spring admission, and March 15th, 2019 for Fall admission
Project Description
Counterdrug interdiction efforts are designed primarily to seize or disrupt cocaine shipments between South American source zones and U.S. markets, and remain a core commitment of U.S. ‘supply side’ drug policy and national security strategy. However, almost 50 years of interdiction activities have unintentionally spread and/or fragmented existing trafficking routes into new and more numerous locations, resulting in a drug trafficking space that has grown from 2 to 7 million mi2 between 1996 and 2017. The project will develop integrated agent-based and interdiction optimization models to assess how the spatial dynamics and structure of cocaine trafficking networks adapt in response to alternative interdiction strategies. The vulnerability of spaces in the so-called “transit zone” will also be mapped to enable a holistic analysis of the environmental and operational aspects of locations of new narco-trafficking activity. Future directions for this project include examining the connections between narco-trafficking and deforestation and destabilized rural livelihoods.
Qualifications
Qualified students will have expertise in some or all of the following: GIS and spatial analysis, operations research and optimization modeling, agent-based modeling, spatial statistical modeling, network analysis, or similar computational approaches. Previous experience and proficiency with programming with Matlab, Python, or R is desirable.
Stipend, tuition, and fees
The position carries a full tuition waiver, a stipend, and health insurance. Additional funding for conference presentations will also be provided.
To Apply
For full consideration, applications for spring 2019 are due by December 15, 2018. Interested students should first contact Dr. Nicholas Magliocca at the email: nrmagliocca@ua.edu with a statement of interest, an unofficial transcript, and GRE scores to assess competitiveness and topical fit with the project. Questions about the admissions process can be directed to Dr. Justin Hart at the email: hart013@ua.edu.
Additional Information
The student will join the growing Laboratory for Human-Environment Interactions Modeling and Analysis or the Laboratory for Location Science where our research interests span an impressive array of topics and interdisciplinary approaches. Also, take a virtual tour of UA’s beautiful campus via drone here: https://vimeo.com/104625184. More information is available from the following links: Department of Geography: http://geography.ua.edu; Graduate School:
http://graduate.ua.edu; University of Alabama: www.ua.edu.
The University of Alabama is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and the University especially encourages applications from women and minorities.