Thank you for your interest in the HEIMA Lab! We are interested in connecting with prospective researchers and students. Please see below for descriptions of current student positions.
General information for prospective graduate students can be found on the Department of Geography's website. Specific questions can be addressed to Dr. Nicholas Magliocca (nrmagliocca@ua.edu). General advice about surviving (and thriving in) graduate school can be found here.
If you want to visit but can't, take a virtual tour of the beautiful UA campus via drone!
CURRENT POSITIONS
1. Funded PhD position in agent-based modeling in the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Nexus
The Center for Complex Hydrosystems Research (CCHR) and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Department of Geography at the University of Alabama are seeking outstanding candidates for multiple Ph.D. research assistantships starting in Spring 2020 for a recently funded NSF-INFEWS project. The full position advertisement can be found here.
One of the Ph.D. positions will be part of the HEIMA Lab. The successful candidate’s primary responsibilities will include: agent-based modeling of farmer crop choice and irrigation decision-making, and the development, testing, and implementation of farmer interview questions and a cognitive mapping exercise. This position will be in support of a four-year National Science Foundation (NSF) funded research project to study the potential transition from rain-fed to irrigation-fed (RFtoIF) agriculture in Alabama. As agriculture plays a significant role in neighboring states' rural economies, one potential option for Alabama's rural economic resurgence is through a drastic increase in agricultural productivity. The study will be conducted in the Mobile River Basin encompassing portions of Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. Given that food, energy and water (FEW) resources are intricately linked within the basin, the study will evaluate the impacts of RFtoIF agriculture transition on the distribution-of and interactions-between these three resources.The full position description can be found here.
2. Collaborative Postdoctoral Research Fellowship with the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC)
The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), located in Annapolis, Maryland, hosts a two-year postdoctoral fellowships for early career scholars (≤ four years post PhD) to work with a Collaborating Mentor (scholar). I am interested in collaborating with a postdoctoral research associate on a wide range of topics related to feedbacks between (i.e., ‘coupled) human and natural systems. In particular, I am looking to work with someone in these active areas of my research program:
3. MS and PhD Students in Geography at the University of Alabama
The HEIMA Lab at the University of Alabama is seeking MS and PhD students to work in the general area of human-environment interactions. The Lab’s research is focused on understanding how humans make decisions to modify the environment, and how those modifications change environmental dynamics and feedback on subsequent human decisions. We are seeking MS and PhD students that are interested in bridging human and physical geography and will complement ongoing project topics including:
Qualifications
The Lab is seeking students with expertise in: GIS and spatial analysis, agent-based modeling, spatial statistical modeling, network analysis, synthesis of case studies (e.g., meta-analysis), or other computational approaches to studying human-environment interactions.
Stipend, tuition, and fees
Funding will be provided through Dr. Magliocca’s active projects and/or the Department of Geography’s Graduate Assistantship program. The position carries a full tuition waiver, a stipend, and health insurance. Additional funding for conference presentations will also be provided. Fellowships through the University of Alabama Graduate School are available for exceptional applicants.
To Apply
For full consideration, applications for are due by December 15 for Spring admission and March 15th for Fall admission. Admission and selection for Graduate Assistantships is highly competitive. Interested students should first contact Dr. Nicholas Magliocca (nrmagliocca@ua.edu) with a statement of interest, an unofficial transcript, and GRE scores to assess competitiveness and topical fit with the Lab. Questions about the admissions process can be directed to Dr. Justin Hart (hart013@ua.edu).
General information for prospective graduate students can be found on the Department of Geography's website. Specific questions can be addressed to Dr. Nicholas Magliocca (nrmagliocca@ua.edu). General advice about surviving (and thriving in) graduate school can be found here.
If you want to visit but can't, take a virtual tour of the beautiful UA campus via drone!
CURRENT POSITIONS
1. Funded PhD position in agent-based modeling in the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Nexus
The Center for Complex Hydrosystems Research (CCHR) and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Department of Geography at the University of Alabama are seeking outstanding candidates for multiple Ph.D. research assistantships starting in Spring 2020 for a recently funded NSF-INFEWS project. The full position advertisement can be found here.
One of the Ph.D. positions will be part of the HEIMA Lab. The successful candidate’s primary responsibilities will include: agent-based modeling of farmer crop choice and irrigation decision-making, and the development, testing, and implementation of farmer interview questions and a cognitive mapping exercise. This position will be in support of a four-year National Science Foundation (NSF) funded research project to study the potential transition from rain-fed to irrigation-fed (RFtoIF) agriculture in Alabama. As agriculture plays a significant role in neighboring states' rural economies, one potential option for Alabama's rural economic resurgence is through a drastic increase in agricultural productivity. The study will be conducted in the Mobile River Basin encompassing portions of Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. Given that food, energy and water (FEW) resources are intricately linked within the basin, the study will evaluate the impacts of RFtoIF agriculture transition on the distribution-of and interactions-between these three resources.The full position description can be found here.
2. Collaborative Postdoctoral Research Fellowship with the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC)
The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), located in Annapolis, Maryland, hosts a two-year postdoctoral fellowships for early career scholars (≤ four years post PhD) to work with a Collaborating Mentor (scholar). I am interested in collaborating with a postdoctoral research associate on a wide range of topics related to feedbacks between (i.e., ‘coupled) human and natural systems. In particular, I am looking to work with someone in these active areas of my research program:
- Land-use change caused by the operations of illicit supply networks.
- Agricultural water resource management in the food-energy-water (FEW) nexus.
- Land-use change and land conversion driven by global agricultural commodity markets.
3. MS and PhD Students in Geography at the University of Alabama
The HEIMA Lab at the University of Alabama is seeking MS and PhD students to work in the general area of human-environment interactions. The Lab’s research is focused on understanding how humans make decisions to modify the environment, and how those modifications change environmental dynamics and feedback on subsequent human decisions. We are seeking MS and PhD students that are interested in bridging human and physical geography and will complement ongoing project topics including:
- Global synthesis of large-scale land acquisitions and associated land-use changes.
- Risk perception and adaptive responses of residential households to coastal hazards
- Land-use change in Latin America driven by illicit commodity trafficking networks.
- Land-use and livelihood change driven by global agricultural commodity markets.
- Integrating a livelihoods perspective into food-energy-water (FEW) nexus analysis.
- Socio-environmental synthesis of coastal saltmarsh evolution and vulnerability.
- Cultural evolution approaches to understanding landscape modification in the Anthropocene.
Qualifications
The Lab is seeking students with expertise in: GIS and spatial analysis, agent-based modeling, spatial statistical modeling, network analysis, synthesis of case studies (e.g., meta-analysis), or other computational approaches to studying human-environment interactions.
Stipend, tuition, and fees
Funding will be provided through Dr. Magliocca’s active projects and/or the Department of Geography’s Graduate Assistantship program. The position carries a full tuition waiver, a stipend, and health insurance. Additional funding for conference presentations will also be provided. Fellowships through the University of Alabama Graduate School are available for exceptional applicants.
To Apply
For full consideration, applications for are due by December 15 for Spring admission and March 15th for Fall admission. Admission and selection for Graduate Assistantships is highly competitive. Interested students should first contact Dr. Nicholas Magliocca (nrmagliocca@ua.edu) with a statement of interest, an unofficial transcript, and GRE scores to assess competitiveness and topical fit with the Lab. Questions about the admissions process can be directed to Dr. Justin Hart (hart013@ua.edu).
