South Dakota State University, Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence

Ph.D. Graduate Research Assistantships in Geospatial Science and Engineering

The Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence (GIScCE) was established in 2005 by South Dakota State University (SDSU) in collaboration with the USGS National Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS). The GIScCE is dedicated to studying the causes and effects of land cover dynamics at scales ranging from landscapes to the globe. Information on the GIScCE and its researchers can be found at: http://globalmonitoring.sdstate.edu

We are currently seeking applicants for six funded Ph.D. Graduate Research Assistantships in Geospatial Science and Engineering to start in Fall 2006. Potential research topics are wide-ranging as each successful applicant will work with one or more SDSU faculty members to develop a program related to their research interests and career goals. Applicants should have strong quantitative skills, and a background in remote sensing, GIS, quantitative geography, spatial ecology, or a related field.

Review of completed application packages will commence b>February 6, 2006.

Successful applicants will receive a nationally competitive salary. The cost of living in Brookings, South Dakota is low and South Dakota residents pay no state income tax. Brookings is a thriving college town that offers excellent schools, abundant parks and recreational opportunities, and a variety of community activities.

Application information can be found at: http://www3.sdstate.edu/Academics/GraduateSchool/AdmissiontotheGraduateSchool/Index.cfm

Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact one or more of the GIScCE faculty members (below) to discuss their qualifications and possible research topics.

Dr. Mark Cochrane Research Interests: Interdisciplinary work combining remote sensing, ecology and other fields to provide a landscape perspective of the dynamic processes involved in land-cover change. Fire ecology; conservation; sustainable use and synergism between land use and land cover change. mark.cochrane@sdstate.edu 605-688-5353

Dr. Matt Hansen Research Interests: Global monitoring of land cover/land use change; improvement inputs, algorithms and thematic outputs for land cover characterizations; application of multi-resolution datasets for accuracy assessment.matthew.hansen@sdstate.edu 605-688-6848

Dr. Geoff Henebry Research Interests: Ecological remote sensing; land cover/land use change; land surface phenology; biodiversity; landscape ecology; grasslands.geoffrey.henebry@sdstate.edu 605-688-5351

Dr. David Roy Research Interests: Application of remote sensing and computational methods to map the occurrence and spatial extent of terrestrial change with an emphasis on vegetation fires; causes and consequences of land cover/land use change; fire-climate-vegetation interactions.david.roy@sdstate.edu 605-688-5352

Dr. Mike Wimberly Research Interests: Spatial epidemiology of vector-borne diseases; simulation modeling of landscape dynamics; forest ecology and management; wildfire risk assessment; predictive mapping of species distributions.michael.wimberly@sdstate.edu 605-688-5350

Dr. Chunsun Zhang Research Interests: Digital photogrammetry; automated mapping and feature extraction; development of models; algorithms, and computational systems for image matching.chunsun.zhang@sdstate.edu 605-688-5384 EOE

Reference:
PhD Graduate Research Assistantships in Geospatial Science and Engineering