Ecology of Scaled Quail in the Chihuahuan Desert
One Graduate Assistantship will be available starting August, 2015 to work on Scaled Quail
demography, seasonal habitat use, and effects of climate on nest success in the Chihuahuan
Desert in southern New Mexico. The successful applicant will be supported for three years
on a graduate assistantship, but will be encouraged to accept semester long teaching
assistantships, as they become available, outside of field seasons for additional experience.
The most qualified applicants will have wildlife related field experience, including but not
limited to, telemetry, working independently at remote field sites, supervising technicians,
and demonstrated skills in data organization, data analysis, and writing. Primary duties will
include trapping, banding, attaching transmitters, tracking quail, vegetation sampling,
assisting with the preparation of quarterly and annual project reports, and presentations
for scientific audiences. The successful applicant must be willing to work, sometimes long
hours, under variable climatic conditions and be comfortable camping at remote locations
for one to two night intervals. Qualifications: Applicants should have a B.S. in Wildlife,
Biology, Conservation Biology or similar area with a combined GPA of 3.0 or higher. Direct
experience with field studies that involved trapping, tracking, and handling of birds is
highly desirable. Interested applicants should send a cover letter, CV/Resume, unofficial
undergraduate transcripts, and GRE scores (preferably as one pdf document) to Dr. Scott
Carleton in the New Mexico Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit at New Mexico State
University (carleton@nmsu.edu or as a last resort to NMSU, MSC 4901, Las Cruces, NM
88003). If you are selected as a finalist for the position, you will be asked to provide three
letters of reference.