MS Graduate Research Assistantship Mountain Goat Adaptive Management
MS Graduate Research Assistantship
Mountain Goat Adaptive Management in Montana
Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit & Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
We are recruiting a M.S. student to work collaboratively on a project to inform bighorn sheep and mountain goat adaptive management efforts throughout Montana. Specifically, this MS project will be focused on tools to inform translocation-based mountain goat management, including 1) predictive models of suitable mountain goat habitat and forage to guide augmentation of unoccupied habitat patches, combining intensive field efforts with remote sensing and collar-based telemetry data; 2) models relating connectivity and group size to population trends for designing translocation actions in occupied and unoccupied patches, and 3) evaluation of monitoring tools to document management outcomes. The student will be co-advised by Dr. Daniel Walsh from the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit and Dr. Nick DeCesare from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and will also work collaboratively with a PhD candidate and research associate on the project team (2024 annual report for the overall project available here). We anticipate this position will be available beginning August 18, 2025. The Graduate Research Assistantship comes with a competitive compensation package.
Qualifications
Please refer to http://www.cfc.umt.edu/wbio/ for information about the Wildlife Biology Program at the University of Montana, minimum academic qualifications, and application procedures. M.S. applicants would ideally have a B.S. in wildlife science, biology, or closely related disciplines. Relevant field research experience and quantitative skills are highly desired. A strong work ethic, the necessary maturity and ability to work collaboratively with a diversity of natural resource professionals, and interests in applied wildlife conservation are essential. Candidates for the positions should be eager to learn and implement the field techniques and statistical analyses required to address the research questions.
Application
Before applying formally to the University of Montana Graduate School, applicants should send a cover letter, resume/CV, copies of transcripts (unofficial), GRE scores, if available, and the names and contact information (phone and e-mail address) of 3 references in a single zip file to Dr. Daniel Walsh at daniel.walsh@umontana.edu by COB June 20, 2025.
The cover letter must address the following, each in its own short section: (1) motivations for pursuing a graduate degree and description of professional goals; (2) why you are interested in the topic of this position; (3) illustration of adaptability, initiative, follow-through, and capacity to learn new skills; and (4) description of a challenge that you had to overcome. Documents should be combined into one PDF that can be sent via email. Review of applications begins immediately and continues until the position is filled.
Please direct questions to Dr. Daniel Walsh at daniel.walsh@umontana.edu.