Natural Resources Job Board

Location: Morgantown, WV

Salary: $37,000/year

Start Date: August 2026 (flexible)

Last Date to Apply: 12/31/25

Description: As part of a new NSF-funded EPSCoR Graduate Fellowship Program (EGFP) at West Virginia University, I am recruiting a student for a graduate fellow position (MS or PhD). This program is designed to support outstanding graduate students in STEM disciplines who received an Honorable Mention in the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) within the past three years. 

EGFP Fellows at WVU will join a cross-disciplinary cohort contributing to research that advances carbon management, decarbonization, energy innovation, environmental resilience, and sustainable technologies. Fellows will also benefit from tailored mentoring, professional development, and networking across WVU’s collaborative research community.

There is considerable flexibility on the focus of the student’s research, as long as it fits within the scope of my lab’s research. Some potential research directions (ideally with a focus on mammals) include predator-prey or predator-predator ecology, wildlife responses to habitat management, restoration of wildlife populations and communities, or development of statistical tools to monitor wildlife populations. There is the opportunity to use existing datasets from the US and Africa, as well as the potential to collect additional data. 

The student would ideally start in August 2026, but this is flexible. The EGFP fellowship includes 3 years of funding (including a tuition waiver and health insurance). PhD students awarded the fellowship will be expected to apply for additional sources of funding for the additional 1-2 years of their program.

Applicants will need to apply through the NSF ETAP platform: https://etap.nsf.gov/award/8252/opportunity/11319 

If you are interested in the opportunity, we can find a time to talk before you apply. I am also willing to talk to people who are planning on applying for the GRFP this cycle (if/when the application opens). If you’d like to find a time to talk, send me an email (laura.gigliotti@mail.wvu.edu) introducing yourself and your research interests. Based on the funding source, I am unfortunately unable to consider applicants who do not meet the required qualifications.