MS Assistantship - Wild Turkey Conservation and Management - Southern Illinois University

Agency: Southern Illinois University

Location: Carbondale, Illinois

Job Category: Graduate Assistantships

Salary: $22k/yr + tuition and student health care access; up to 3 years of support

Start Date: August 2025

Last Date to Apply: Open until Filled; applicants will be reviewed on rolling basis.

Advisors: Drs. Brent Pease and Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau

Website: https://peaselab.com/; https://bastillerousseau.wixsite.com/research

Description

Two MS-level Graduate Research Assistantships are available starting August 2025 in the PEASE Lab (Population Estimation and Spatial Ecology; peaselab.com) and the Spatial Wildlife Ecology Lab at Southern Illinois University to support management and conservation of Wild Turkeys by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The students will be co-advised by Dr. Brent Pease (https://peaselab.com/) and Dr. Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau (https://bastillerousseau.wixsite.com/research) at Southern Illinois University. One student will lead efforts on Project 1 (details below) and the other student will lead efforts on Project 2. 

Project 1: Wild Turkey gobbling chronology

Project 1 will focus on wild turkey gobbling chronology. The student will lead research using autonomous recording units (ARUs) to document spatial and/or temporal variation in the timing of male gobbling (e.g., Kreh et al., 2018 Wildlife Society Bulletin). The focus of this research is to assess current spring harvest season regulations (e.g., timing, zoning, and length of spring harvest seasons) based on the timing of male gobbling across Illinois and then provide regulatory recommendations to the Illinois DNR. 

The ideal student will have extensive experience deploying ARUs along with processing and analyzing acoustic data. The student should be excited about carrying out field work during winter and spring across Illinois, in sometimes difficult field conditions, and should have a general interest and knowledge of wild turkey and other upland gamebird ecology. The successful applicant is expected to communicate findings to state agencies and other on-going, regional monitoring efforts. The student will earn a MS in Forestry at Southern Illinois University.

Project 2: Wild Turkey nesting phenology

Project 2 will focus on wild turkey movement and spatial ecology. The student will lead research using GPS transmitters to document spatial and/or temporal variation in the timing of nesting as well as spatial ecology of turkeys. Primary field duties include capture and affixing GPS radiotags, monitoring hen survival and nesting and brooding success, and deploying and monitoring camera traps at nest sites. Research will also emphasize general spatial ecology and population ecology (e.g., movement, space-use, survival, etc.).

The ideal student will have knowledge of wild turkey ecology and will also have experience capturing and handling upland game birds. Additionally, the individual will ideally have experience with GPS/VHF technology, will have processed and analyzed movement data, and have general interest/experience with population modeling. The student should also be excited about carrying out field work during winter and spring across Illinois, in sometimes difficult field conditions. The successful applicant is expected to communicate findings to state agencies and other on-going, regional monitoring efforts. The student will earn a MS in Forestry at Southern Illinois University.

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General Qualifications

This is a well-funded, multi-agency research project, and the graduate students will be expected to assist in hiring and managing field technicians to support the data collection efforts. Additionally, although research questions will be unique among the selected students, their field work will be complimentary, and both students will be expected to contribute to all wild turkey research activities carried out.

The successful applicants will have (1) obtained B.S. degree in wildlife, ecology, biology, forestry, zoology, or related fields; (2) knowledge of wild turkey ecology; (3) exceptional quantitative skills with experience using a variety of data types and models; (4) knowledge of program R and spatial software (e.g., QGIS, ArcGIS); (5) a driver's license and ability to conduct independent field work in difficult conditions (e.g., steep terrain, poison ivy, ticks); (6) strong oral and written communication skills, and (7) a cooperative, team-oriented mindset eager to carry out wildlife research and address key problems in wildlife conservation and management.

 

To apply please email a single PDF to Dr. Brent Pease (bpease1@siu.edu) that includes:

1. A cover letter that describes your specific interest in this position and how your past experiences and career goals align with the goals of the project. Your cover should clearly articulate which position you are interested in (gobbling chronology, nesting phenology, or a ranking of the two if your skillset matches both positions).

2. Curriculum Vitae (with GPA and GRE scores included)

3. Undergraduate transcripts (unofficial is acceptable)

6. Contact information for 3 references

The email subject should be “MS – Wild turkeys”. Applications will be accepted until positions are filled and reviewed on a rolling basis.

Questions:

Contact Person: Dr. Brent Pease

Contact Email: bpease1@siu.edu