The Marine Mammal Ecology Lab at Western Washington University and the Makah Tribe are looking for a MSc student to assist in a project funded by Washington Sea Grant. The student will conduct a study on predation by harbor seals and Steller sea lions on Chinook salmon along the Pacific coast of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. The student will help collect scat in the field, process scat in the laboratory, determine sex-biased predation using molecular techniques, analyze diet data generated by collaborators, determine prey consumption by sex, model predation impact on Chinook salmon, mentor students, and give presentations to scientists and public alike. At least one peer-reviewed publication is expected from this work.

The successful applicant will begin Fall quarter of 2020 and will be funded for two years, including summers, entirely through an RAship. The student will work with Adrianne Akmajian (Marine Ecologist of the Makah Tribe), Dr. Dietmar Schwarz (Professor in Biology), and Dr. Alejandro Acevedo-Gutierrez (Professor in Biology and Science Education). You can learn more about the Makah Tribe at https://makah.com/makah-tribal-info/ and about the Marine Mammal Ecology Lab at http://myweb.facstaff.wwu.edu/aceveda/.

We are looking for students who are extremely motivated, responsible, congenial, experienced in the field and top-notch academically, willing to publish their thesis in a scientific journal, and that will ultimately use the skills and knowledge that they acquire at Western in research, education, or conservation. We also are looking for students who know how to write well, are meticulous and organized, have experience working with scat, molecular techniques, and/or models, and have strong statistical skills. This opportunity is open to U.S. citizens or residents.

If you are interested in being part of this project, please email me at aceveda@wwu.edu the following information before Nov 28^th of 2019:

-Unofficial copy of undergraduate transcript (a scanned copy or a photocopy is fine)
-Copy of either a curriculum vitae or a resume summarizing your work and academic experience
-A 1-2 page statement of purpose outlining a) your short- and long-term career goals, b) why you want to be part of this project, and c) how your experience and qualifications make you a good fit to work with us.
-Unofficial copy of general GRE results (a write-up of the scores AND percentiles is all we want) and, if you took the exam, biology GRE scores
-Names, addresses, telephone, and email of three references, whom we will contact if needed