seagrass biology and ecology post doc opportunity

We seek a postdoctoral researcher with expertise in seagrass biology and ecology for studies to include trends in seagrass distribution and condition over time, reproductive ecology and physiology, and restoration. The successful candidate should have experience with a range of statistical methods and spatial analysis tools including GIS or a related software (such as Q-GIS), experience working on small vessels and in shallow coastal ecosystems, strong writing and presentation skills, and interest in exploring seagrass ecosystems throughout the Gulf of Mexico.

The individual will be supervised by Dr. Kelly Darnell and will be based at USM’s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL) in Ocean Springs, MS. GCRL was established in 1948 and is one of the oldest and largest marine labs in the Gulf of Mexico with 200+ faculty, staff, and students and state-of-the-art research facilities that support USM’s designation as an R1 University.

Interested candidates should email a cover letter, CV, and contact information for three references to Dr. Kelly Darnell (Kelly.Darnell@usm.edu) by December 20, 2024 for full consideration.


Prospective students

The Division of Coastal Sciences offers both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Information about the degree programs can be found here. Application deadlines are April 1 (for Fall admission) and September 1 (for Spring admission), but I encourage you to contact me well before those deadlines.

Students in the Coastal Ecology and Seagrass Biology Lab are typically funded through external research grants, however departmental fellowships are also available (see below). Assistantship opportunities will be posted on this page when they become available.

Interested students are encouraged to contact me about current and/or upcoming opportunities.


Fellowship opportunities

The Division of Coastal Sciences offers a fellowship to support the recruitment of graduate students from historically underrepresented groups in coastal and marine science who demonstrate scholarly promise. You can read more about the Coastal Sciences Fellowship in Support of Diversity here. I encourage you to contact me if you are interested in applying for this fellowship.