Graduate Research Assistant – Tropical Land Use and Sustainable Bioenergy – The
University of Wisconsin-Madison
The Gibbs Lab group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has funding for a Graduate
Research Assistant starting Fall 2011 to conduct research on carbon emissions, tropical
deforestation and bioenergy issues. Ideally, the student will focus on tropical land-use
transitions in response to global economic drivers such as bioenergy mandates and
demand-side pressures from Greenpeace and other NGOs. The research will likely
involve a combination of GIS and database analysis along with statistical modeling.
Questions include – What are the drivers of agricultural land-use change? Do bioenergy
subsidies in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere influence rates of forest clearing? What role
might the soy or oil palm moratoria play in mitigating causes and drivers of
deforestation? How have tropical land-use patterns changed over the last three decades?
What does this mean for carbon emissions?
Preference will be given to students with work experience and / or time spent in the
tropics. GIS and statistical training are ideal. Applicant must be accepted into the
Department of Geography or the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies graduate
program. Typically, graduate students in our research programs have undergraduate
GPAs above 3.5, and GRE scores in the 80th percentile or higher. Benefits include
stipend, tuition remission and eligibility to participate in the Graduate Student Health
Insurance Program.
Madison is widely recognized for its high quality of life, vibrant culture and arts scene,
and easy access to natural areas. Costs of living are moderate, and public transportation
or bicycle paths are easy transportation options.
For more information:
Gibbs webpage: http://www.sage.wisc.edu/people/gibbs/gibbs.html
Nelson Institute: http://www.nelson.wisc.edu/
Department of Geography: http://www.geography.wisc.edu/
To apply, please submit a cover letter detailing qualifications and research interests, CV,
and email addresses of three references to Holly Gibbs hgibbs@stanford.edu. Candidates
should also submit an application to the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
(Environment and Resources program preferred) and / or the Department of Geography
(People and Environment program preferred).
Dr. Holly Gibbs
Assistant Professor (starting Aug 2011)
Department of Geography & Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
University of Wisconsin-Madison
