STARTING DATE: January 4, 2027 (negotiable)
SALARY: $20,000 (MSc) or $25,000 (PhD) plus benefits and tuition waiver
REVIEW BEGINS: The position will remain open until filled, but for full consideration applicants should submit their completed packets by September 15, 2026.
RESPONSIBILITIES: The MSU Deer Lab in collaboration with the Jones Center at Ichauway is seeking a PhD or strongly motivated MSc student to assess white-tailed deer ecology at the Jones Center at Ichauway in South Georgia. The successful candidate will be responsible for three main objectives: 1) Using game cameras to quantify vigilance rates of deer detected within predator exclosures for comparison to deer detected outside of exclosures, 2) To monitor deer use of burned patches to better assess how use changes in a patch prior to burning and as vegetation grows post-burn, and 3) To quantify deer vigilance relative to co-occurrence with predators in burned patches for comparison to vigilance rates quantified from predator exclosures. The successful candidate will have some flexibility to develop research questions of their interest related to these objectives.
Responsibilities of the successful candidate include but are not limited to deploying and retrieving game cameras, indexing photos, vegetation sampling, and data analyses. The successful applicant for this position will be co-advised by Drs. Eric Michel and Mike Conner.
QUALIFICATIONS: Ideal candidates will hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree in wildlife ecology or a related field. Extensive field experience conducted in inclement environmental conditions (e.g., hot and humid weather, biting insects, venomous snakes) is required. Demonstrated experience with data entry, database management, various statistical analyses in Program R, ESRI GIS, and advanced writing capabilities (lead or co-author of a peer-reviewed manuscript) are preferred.
The ideal candidate must have demonstrated the ability to work effectively as part of a research team. The selected candidate must have a strong work ethic, critical thinking skills, attention to detail, a positive attitude, and the ability to work successfully both independently and within groups. They must be professional and courteous to landowners, research personnel, and the public. Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, are required.
This position demands persistence, independence, self-reliance, and the ability/willingness to work long and irregular hours (holidays, weekends, early mornings/late evenings). A demonstrated ability to collect rigorous scientific data in remote and challenging field conditions is required.
ABOUT THE STATE AND UNIVERSITY: The Southeastern U.S. hosts some of the greatest species biodiversity in North America, including numerous endangered and threatened species. Mississippi is characterized by diverse terrains including lush broadleaf forests, oak savannas, prairie grasslands, temperate pine forests and delta wetlands, along with abundant waterways. These rich landscapes provide habitat for hundreds of species of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians. White-tailed deer are the number one game species in the Southeast, and account for about $1 Billion in annual economic impact in the state. Mississippi is home to 11 national wildlife refuges and 25 state parks, including the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, Mississippi River State Park, and Pascagoula River Audubon Center. Mississippi State University is ranked as one of the top research institutions in the United States. The Carnegie Institute has designated MSU as a “R1, very high research activity” doctoral granting institution. The National Science Foundation has MSU as ranked No. 12 nationally in Agriculture and Natural Resources Conservation research. The department has a highly collegial and interdisciplinary group of faculty, post-doctoral fellows, Research and Extension Associates that help make the department one of the premier institutions for applied wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture science in the nation. As one of the fastest growing undergraduate programs in the region, our 320+ undergraduate students concentrate in wildlife agriculture science, human-wildlife interactions, conservation biology, wildlife veterinary medicine, conservation law enforcement, and wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture science. The department also mentors over 100 graduate students across a variety of programs, with high job placement following receipt of a graduate degree.
Graduate Students at the Jones Center at Ichauway: Becoming a graduate student at Ichauway is an immersive experience. Students live in the ecosystems they study, share that experience with a small cadre of fellow students, have broad learning experiences about natural history and natural resource management, and join the diverse community of people who live and work at The Jones Center.
Students conduct their research at Ichauway under the guidance of our scientists who serve as co-advisors with faculty of co-sponsoring universities. We place particular emphasis on our graduate student programs as they are an important product of The Jones Center’s programs and continue to make lasting impacts in research, management, and conservation of natural resources in the Southeastern U.S. and beyond.
APPLY: A cover letter, CV (including three references), unofficial transcripts, and a writing example should be combined into a single PDF and submitted to Eric Michel at esm120@msstate.edu and Mike Conner at mike.conner@jonesctr.org.
Questions about this position can be directed to Eric Michel (esm120@msstate.edu) or Mike Conner (mike.conner@jonesctr.org).
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement: Mississippi State University is an equal opportunity institution. Discrimination is prohibited in university employment, programs or activities based on race, color, ethnicity, sex, pregnancy, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, or any other status to the extent protected by applicable law. Questions about equal opportunity programs or compliance should be directed to the Office of Civil Rights Compliance, 231 Famous Maroon Band Street, P.O. 6044, Mississippi State, MS 39762, (662) 325-5839.
What do I do if I need an accommodation?
In compliance with the ADA Amendments Act (ADA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position with Mississippi State University, please contact the Department of Human Resources Management at tel: (662) 325-3713 or ada@hrm.msstate.edu.
