.The fall semester is here and we're excited to welcome and get to know new lab members! No better way to showcase new graduate students Troy and Daniel than with a brief interrogation! 

Troy Wynne, PhD Student

The Conservation Ecology Lab is part of a recent collaborative paper published in Marine Policy synthesizing best practices for climate-resilient fisheries management. With input from fisheries managers and scientists, eight best practices emerged to facilitate an effective link between climate knowledge and fisheries management action. Please check out this excellent blog post written by the two primary co-authors to learn more about how the puzzle pieces fit together! 

A new academic year is in full swing and it's time to celebrate new lab members! We're so excited to have Jaz (MS student), Corey (PhD student), and Tim (MS student) joining us this year. A belated welcome to Erica (MS student) as well, who joined us last year but somehow was not subjected to a get-to-know-you Q&A. Major oversight! 

​​Postdoctoral research fellow Dr. Eve Bohnett has embarked on a fieldwork journey in Chitwan district, Nepal. Her research is funded as part of a National Science Foundation grant to study coupled human-natural systems. In Chitwan district, there are distinct management zones where some areas receive funds to provide villagers with training and encourage participation in restoration programs. There are avenues for the conservation of wildlife that are compatible with wider forest management regimes ongoing throughout the area.

Dr. Rebecca Lewison and Dr. Megan Jennings in the Conservation Ecology Lab at San Diego State University (SDSU) seek a self-motivated and hardworking graduate student at the Ph.D. level to conduct research on Peninsular desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) population ecology and conservation through population, habitat/resource use, and predation modeling in partnership with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The goal of this project is to update population information and the role of predation in the distinct population segment of desert bighorn sheep located in southern California’s Peninsular Range to inform recovery planning for the species, which is listed as threatened under California’s Endangered Species Act and endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act. The research project will focus on applied conservation science, as well as wildlife, landscape, and population ecology. Potential research questions may include topics related to predation risk from pumas (Puma concolor) in a multi-prey system and factors affecting habitat or resource utilization and population persistence (e.g., drought).

Minimum qualifications:

• Overall undergraduate GPA of at least 3.2 for the last 60 semester units, and have demonstrated superior performance in upper division course work in the major.
• For foreign students, a minimum score on the TOEFL exam of 550 (paper exam) or 80 (computer-based exam) is required.

• Completed courses in physics, chemistry, mathematics, and statistics. Minimum requirements include one year of general chemistry, one year of physics, a course in calculus, and a course in biostatistics.
• A demonstrated preparation and capacity for doctoral work in the field of ecology.

Preferred qualifications:

• Demonstrated interest in conservation and wildlife population ecology
• Strong quantitative skills and experience with coding and analysis in R
• Experience in independent research and development of research questions
• Experience working in rugged field conditions
• Strong writing skills

 
To apply, submit the following to Dr. Megan Jennings (mjennings@sdsu.edu) with the subject line “Bighorn Sheep PhD Assistantship”. Application review will begin October 4 and applications will be accepted through October 15, 2021:

1. Cover letter summarizing your interest in the position, qualifications, experience, and research and career goals
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. Academic transcripts (unofficial ok)
4. Names and contacts for three professional references

We’re interested in applicants who are able to start before the academic year (e.g., Spring 2022). Selected applicant will also be required to apply for admission to the Joint Doctoral Program in Ecology between SDSU and the University of California, Davis. Applications for Fall 2022 admission to the Joint Doctoral Program are due to UC Davis on December 1, 2021. Abbreviated applications to SDSU are by request after initial review. 

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) - Sea Grant Joint Fellowship supports the next generation of specialized experts in fisheries management. This fellowship addresses the critical need for future fisheries scientists with expertise in stock assessment that will inform how we protect and manage marine resources and environments in a changing world. Lab member Nima Farchadi was recently awarded this prestigious fellowship for his research on fishery-species and fishing fleet distributions under anomalous climatic conditions. 

Climate-driven changes in the oceans are shifting the distributions of fishery resources; however, further research is needed on how fishing fleets will be affected by these climate changes. Because fish populations and fishing fleets may respond to climate change in divergent ways, accurately describing and understanding variations in species and fleet distributions is a key requirement for managers and policy makers to develop management strategies that will support climate-readiness and resilience in U.S. fisheries. As an awardee of the 2021 Sea Grant and NOAA Fisheries Joint Fellowship Program, Nima Farchadi will be employing a novel joint fishery-species distribution model (JFSDMs) approach to improve our understanding of how fish and fishers will respond to marine heatwaves. Nima will focus on predicting the spatiotemporal distribution and relative overlap of albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) and the northwest Pacific Albacore troll fishery. The goal of this research is to evaluate the predictive skill of JFSDMs under anomalous environmental conditions and support climate resilient and climate-ready fisheries management.

Congratulations, Nima!!