Opportunities

The Simler-Williamson lab conducts research in the Department of Biological Sciences at Boise State University. We admit graduate students through Boise State’s Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior PhD program and Biology MS program.

PhD student position in forest disease, disturbance, and species coexistence at Boise State University - priority review by Nov 8th

Dr. Allison Simler-Williamson in the Department of Biological Sciences at Boise State University is seeking an enthusiastic Ph.D. student to conduct NSF-funded research focusing on the mechanisms by which novel disturbance interactions between wildfire and plant disease may shift communities between forest and chaparral states. The research will focus on the dynamics of redwood and mixed evergreen forests in coastal central California impacted by recent fires and the nonnative pathogen, Phytophthora ramorum.

The prospective graduate student will conduct work examining how interactions between an emerging infectious disease and wildfire may alter patterns of tree-shrub coexistence, triggering abrupt state transitions. The student will lead one or more research efforts in this system, including: 1) quantifying evidence for disease-fire-vegetation feedbacks, using a 20-year forest ecology dataset; and/or 2) developing epidemiological and population models parameterized with experimental and observational data to understand forest-to-shrubland transitions. This full project will involve a combination of field surveys of a 20-year repeat measurement network in Big Sur, CA, development of manipulative field and shadehouse experiments, microbiological lab work, and mathematical and statistical modeling. The project involves opportunities to cultivate diverse skills in plant population and community ecology, epidemiology and disease ecology, disturbance ecology, statistical approaches for causal inference, and mathematical modeling.

Beyond the questions above, the successful applicant will have opportunities to cultivate independent research questions that leverage existing long-term forest data from this system, or that align with another research area in our group. The Simler-Williamson lab (https://www.simlerwilliamsonlab.com/) broadly studies the impacts of changing host-microbe and host-pathogen interactions on plant population persistence and community assembly, including work focused on plant-microbe coevolution, climate change impacts on plant-microbe associations, and the role of microbial interactions in determining restoration and management outcomes.

The successful applicant will collaborate with a network of faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates at University of Georgia, Cal Poly, Lewis and Clark College, North Carolina State University, and UC Davis, conducting other project areas focused on soil biogeochemical mechanisms, seed banks, and forest process-based modeling.

Simler-Williamson lab is committed to supporting mentees in a welcoming, inclusive environment. Boise State University embraces and welcomes diversity, including (but not limited to) people of any gender identity, race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, and neurotype. Accordingly, applicants who would add to the diversity and excellence of our academic community are encouraged to apply.

Application Details:

Preferred qualifications include:

  • A B.S. or B.A. degree in ecology, biology, environmental science, plant biology or a related field.

  • Experience with (or a strong interest in cultivating skills in) statistical analysis, programming, or mathematical modeling.

  • Experience with (or a strong interest in cultivating skills in) disease ecology/plant pathology, disturbance ecology, or plant community ecology.

  • Past experience conducting field research in challenging conditions and working for extended periods in remote environments.

  • An ability to work independently, as well as part of a diverse collaborative team, including an interest in undergraduate mentorship.

  • Strong verbal, interpersonal, and written communication skills.

Graduate students will be admitted through the Boise State University PhD in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior program, to begin in August 2025. Additional information about the program can be found at https://www.boisestate.edu/eeb/. The project includes a minimum of 2 years of NSF-funded support, with at least 2 years of additional funding provided through a combination of research and teaching assistantships. The position includes coverage of tuition and health insurance, with a minimum salary of $34,000/year.

Please contact Dr. Allison Simler-Williamson (allisonsimlerwil@boisestate.edu) with the following documents, to indicate your interest in this position before officially applying:

  • a 1-page cover letter summarizing how the described research aligns with your interests and what you are hoping to gain from a masters degree or PhD; 

  • a CV or resume;

  • Contact details for 2-3 professional references.


Please use the email subject, “Grad position in forest disease and disturbance.” Following initial review of applications and zoom interviews with top candidates, a subset of applicants will be invited to formally apply to the EEB graduate programs (deadline: January 15, 2025). All admission decisions must be approved by the graduate program and Graduate Dean.

Applications will be accepted through November, but those received before Nov 8th will receive priority in review.

Two parallel PhD student opportunities for Fall 2025 will also be funded by this project, conducting work on soil biogeochemistry (at Univ. of Georgia, with co-PI Nina Wurzburger) and forest-based process modeling (at NC State, with co-PI Ross Meentemeyer).

Other Graduate and Postdoctoral Opportunities:

Currently, all other grant-funded graduate student and postdoc positions in our research group are filled. When new grant-funded opportunities arise, they will be posted here. However, I am also always interested in chatting with prospective students or postdocs whose interests might align our research, especially if you are interested in developing fellowship applications (e.g. NSF GRFP, NSF PRFB, USDA NIFA, etc) focused on questions in plant ecology, disease ecology, or disturbance ecology. If you are interested in training in Simler-Williamson lab, please send me an email (allisonsimlerwil@boisestate.edu) with information about your research experiences, career goals, and a specific research question you are interested in pursuing.

Undergraduate Opportunities:

If you are an undergraduate interested in working in the lab, please send me an email (allisonsimlerwil@boisestate.edu) with your background, research interests, and what you are hoping to gain from working in a lab environment. We are always looking for enthusiastic new undergraduate researchers. We often have funded opportunities or course-based opportunities, depending on your interests, or may be able to support your application to Boise State research fellowships (e.g., HERC, Idaho INBRE, SARE, etc).