The Tingley Lab in Global Change Ecology is joining the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles and seeking creative and motivated PhD students to join the lab in the Fall of 2020. Our research utilizes field and biodiversity data to explore how large-scale anthropogenic drivers of change (e.g., climate change, land-use change, fire regimes) affect geographic distributions and community interactions over short to long timespans, from years to centuries. Most of our research explores these topics using birds as the primary study organism.

Potential research areas include: 1) the impact of climate change on birds through shifts in distributions or phenology; 2) the mechanisms that define range limits; 3) the role of wildfire in structuring biodiversity; 4) statistical modeling of distributions and assemblages; and/or 5) using historical data to understand processes of change. Research projects will have opportunities to draw from extensive existing databases as well as collect new field data at current field sites in temperate mountain systems. Enthusiasm, excellent written and oral communication abilities, and strong quantitative skills are necessary. Backgrounds in ornithology, modeling, and statistics are desired.

Application process
Interested and qualified candidates should read through the lab’s Frequently Asked Questions (http://www.morgantingley.com/join/) and send an email describing their motivation and research interests along with, at minimum, a CV, GPA, and GRE scores to morgan.tingley@lifesci.ucla.edu. Strong applicants will be contacted for scheduling an informal interview over Skype. Applications to UCLA are due December 1st. Financial support for Ph.D. students is available from research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and university fellowships, but applications to outside funding sources are strongly encouraged.

About UCLA
Founded in 1919, UCLA is a world-renowned institution with a longstanding record of impactful, collaborative research. With roughly 100 graduate students, 30 faculty members, and 25 postdoctoral scholars, the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department offers ample opportunities for productive in-house interactions as well as collaboration with other departments and UC campuses. The Pacific Ocean and the Santa Monica Mountains are both a short drive away from the UCLA campus, providing tremendous opportunities for local field research and recreation. Los Angeles is ethnically diverse and culturally rich, and a global destination for travel, entertainment, and outdoor adventure.