Dear colleagues, 

I would appreciate if you could post and circulate this offer of a PhD scholarship in Soil Ecology at the University of Sherbrooke.

Thank you for your help. 

Robert Bradley

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PhD ($60,000) scholarship in soil ecology Interactions between trees and earthworms controlling greenhouse
gas emissions from riparian buffer strips.

I am offering a PhD ($20 000 x 3 years) scholarship for a research project on the interactions between trees and earthworms as factors controlling GHG emissions from riparian buffer strips. This research project is predicated on the principal that forested riparian buffer strips provide a safe haven for earthworms in agroecosystems due to favorable soil moisture conditions, constant plant litter inputs and low disturbance frequency. As riparian buffer strips are hot-spots for carbon and nutrient turnover in many agricultural landscapes, it is important to determine the net impact of earthworms from these habitats on soil GHG emissions.

It is equally important to determine whether the design (i.e. species composition, soil textural class, tree age-class) of forested riparian buffer strips can improve the net GHG balance of earthworm impacted buffer strips.

The project will first compare earthworm species abundances in forested riparian buffer strips and adjacent agricultural fields in Southern Ontario, Québec and possibly Central Europe. We will then determine net effect of common riparian earthworm species on the net balance of the three major GHGs (CO2, N2O, CH4). Finally, we will use field plots and mesocosms to determine the effect of coniferous vs. deciduous tree
species, of large vs. small trees, and of fine vs. coarse-textured soils on the abundance and GHG-related activities of earthworms in riparian buffer strips.

This project is particularly relevant to students wishing to pursue a career in environmental protection.
The University of Sherbrooke is a premier Canadian research institution. It was recently ranked No. 1 in the country and 18th in the world (among 516 universities from 74 countries) for its excellence in sustainable development, according to the GreenMetric World University Ranking.

The city of Sherbrooke is known for its proximity to nature and ranks among the least expensive university towns in North America.
Please submit a curriculum vitae, a letter of introduction and the coordinates of three potential referees to Dr. Robert Bradley (Robert.Bradley@USherbrooke.ca).
Review of applicants begins on 8 May 2017 until the position is filled.