Urbanization is reshaping landscapes across the United States and the world at an unprecedented pace. As cities and suburbs expand, wildlife communities adapt in complex ways that influence everything from biodiversity and ecosystem function to human health through zoonotic disease dynamics. For aspiring ecologists and conservation scientists, few opportunities combine rigorous field training, advanced quantitative skills, and real-world public health relevance like the fully funded M.S. Graduate Assistantship in Urban Wildlife Ecology at Bridgewater State University.
This NSF Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID)-funded position in the Surasinghe Lab offers a two-year, thesis-focused master’s experience starting in January 2027. The successful student will investigate how urbanization gradients in southeastern Massachusetts shape wildlife occurrence, abundance, habitat use, and community structure while contributing to broader research on host-vector interactions and tick-borne disease risk.
If you are passionate about wildlife ecology, landscape ecology, quantitative methods, or disease ecology and want to build a competitive profile for careers in research, government agencies, NGOs, or PhD programs, this assistantship deserves your immediate attention.
Scholarship Summary
- Host Country: USA
- Host University: Bridgewater State University
- Scholarship Type: MSC Scholarships
- Eligible Countries: All Countries
- Scholarship Benefits: Full tuition fee, Living stipend, etc.
Why This Urban Wildlife Ecology Project Matters Now
More than half the global human population lives in urban areas, and that number continues to grow. In the United States, the Northeast megalopolis—including the Greater Boston region—exemplifies the challenges and opportunities of studying wildlife along strong urban-to-peri-urban gradients.
Urban development fragments habitats, alters resource availability, changes predator-prey dynamics, and modifies microclimates. These shifts can lead to “biotic homogenization,” where generalist species thrive while specialists decline. At the same time, certain urban-adapted wildlife species serve as hosts or reservoirs for ticks that transmit pathogens responsible for Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, which remain significant public health concerns in Massachusetts and the broader Northeast.
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The project led by Dr. Thilina Surasinghe integrates wildlife monitoring with tick, landscape, and disease-risk datasets. By understanding which species thrive or disappear across urbanization gradients and how their activity patterns overlap with tick vectors, researchers can better predict disease risk and inform urban planning, conservation, and public health strategies. This interdisciplinary approach sits at the intersection of ecology, epidemiology, and landscape science—precisely the kind of training that makes graduates highly employable.
What You Will Do as the Graduate Assistant
As the M.S. student, you will develop an independent thesis centered on modeling wildlife occurrence, relative abundance, habitat associations, and community patterns. The core data sources include:
- Camera traps deployed across urban and peri-urban sites in the Greater Boston region to capture activity patterns of mammals and other wildlife.
- ARUs (AudioMoths) — low-cost, open-source acoustic recorders that enable continuous, non-invasive monitoring of vocal species such as birds, amphibians, and bats.
You will handle fieldwork (deploying and maintaining equipment under variable New England weather conditions), organize and quality-control large datasets, process camera-trap images, prepare spatial data in GIS, and perform statistical modeling in R. Common analytical approaches in this field include occupancy models, abundance estimation, community ecology metrics, and species-environment relationships that incorporate landscape covariates such as impervious surface cover, forest connectivity, and habitat heterogeneity.
Beyond your thesis, you will support the larger NSF EEID project by helping integrate wildlife data with tick sampling and disease-risk layers. You will also collaborate with undergraduate researchers, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab, and external partners from Columbia University, Boston University, Tufts University, and institutions in the United Kingdom (University of Sussex/Bath). This multi-institutional network provides exceptional exposure to diverse expertise and potential co-authorship opportunities on manuscripts and conference presentations.
The position runs from January 2027 through December 2028 (two years) within the Biology M.S. program at Bridgewater State University. The assistantship requires at least 20 hours per week and is funded, with salary commensurate with experience and responsibilities.
Skills You Will Build — A Powerful Combination of Field and Quantitative Expertise
This assistantship stands out because it deliberately balances intensive fieldwork with advanced analytical training. Many ecology graduates possess strong field skills but lack robust quantitative experience; others excel in modeling but have limited time outdoors. Here you will develop both.
Field skills: include study design, camera-trap deployment and maintenance, acoustic monitoring protocols, and working safely and effectively across a range of weather and terrain conditions in the Greater Boston area.
Technical and analytical skills: cover GIS and spatial data preparation (critical for landscape ecology), image processing workflows, data management and quality control, and statistical modeling in R (occupancy, abundance, community, and multivariate analyses). You will also gain experience preparing manuscripts, delivering conference presentations, and collaborating across institutions.
These competencies are in high demand for positions with state and federal wildlife agencies (e.g., Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), environmental consulting firms, conservation NGOs, and PhD programs in ecology, wildlife biology, landscape ecology, or disease ecology. The combination of urban ecology + quantitative methods + disease relevance makes this profile particularly distinctive.
Why Bridgewater State University and the Surasinghe Lab?
Bridgewater State University’s Department of Biological Sciences offers a research-oriented M.S. program (thesis option strongly aligned with this position) with rolling admissions for Fall and Spring entry. The Surasinghe Lab, led by Professor Thilina D. Surasinghe, specializes in biodiversity conservation, landscape ecology, urban wildlife ecology, and ecological restoration. Dr. Surasinghe brings extensive experience in GIS/remote sensing applications, statistical modeling, and multi-taxa monitoring, with active involvement in national networks such as the Urban Wildlife Information Network (as Greater Boston Coordinator), EREN, NEON, and NSF-funded initiatives.
Students benefit from a supportive environment that emphasizes both rigorous science and professional development. The location in southeastern Massachusetts provides convenient access to diverse field sites ranging from dense urban cores to suburban and more rural interfaces — ideal for the urbanization-gradient design of this project. Proximity to Boston also facilitates collaboration with partner universities and access to additional resources and networking.
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Who Should Apply for Urban Wildlife Ecology Graduate Assistantship?
Strong applicants will hold a bachelor’s degree in wildlife ecology, biology, environmental science, ecology, or a closely related field, with at least one year of relevant experience. Prior hands-on experience with any of the following is highly desirable:
- Fieldwork in ecology or wildlife biology
- Camera-trap studies
- Acoustic monitoring or ARUs
- GIS and spatial analysis
- Statistical modeling or programming in R
Beyond technical skills, the ideal candidate is organized, reliable, comfortable conducting fieldwork under variable conditions (including cold winters and insect-heavy seasons), and genuinely excited to develop both field and quantitative expertise. Because the project involves collaboration with multiple institutions and undergraduate mentees, strong communication and teamwork abilities are essential.
International students are encouraged to review Bridgewater State University’s graduate admissions requirements for international applicants, including English proficiency and visa considerations, and to contact Dr. Surasinghe early to discuss eligibility and timing.
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How to Apply for This Funded MS Urban Wildlife Ecology Graduate Assistantship
Review of inquiries begins in early October 2026 and continues until the position is filled. The formal application deadline for materials is November 30, 2026. Prospective students are strongly encouraged to reach out to Dr. Surasinghe before submitting a formal application to the BSU Biology M.S. program.
Send a single PDF containing all of the following to Dr. Thilina Surasinghe at tsurasinghe@bridgew.edu:
- A brief statement of interest (research interests, relevant experience, and career goals — tailor this to the project’s focus on urban wildlife modeling, camera traps/ARUs, and disease ecology)
- Current CV
- Unofficial transcripts
- Contact information for two or three references
Helpful links for applicants:
- Official job posting on the Natural Resources Job Board: https://jobs.rwfm.tamu.edu/view-job/?id=117565
- Surasinghe Lab opportunities page: https://sites.google.com/bridgew.edu/surasinghejobs/home
- Dr. Thilina Surasinghe’s faculty page: https://sites.google.com/bridgew.edu/dr-thilina-surasinghe/bio
- Bridgewater State University Biology M.S. program and graduate admissions: https://www.bridgew.edu/academics/programs-graduate/masters-degree-biological-sciences and https://www.bridgew.edu/admissions/graduate/apply
In your statement of interest, demonstrate that you have read about the project and lab. Clearly connect your background to the methods (camera traps, acoustic monitoring, GIS, R) and express enthusiasm for understanding urbanization effects on wildlife and disease risk. Strong letters of recommendation from faculty or supervisors who can speak to your research potential, work ethic, and field reliability will strengthen your application.
Take the Next Step Toward a Career in Urban Ecology and Conservation
This funded M.S. graduate assistantship represents far more than financial support for two years of study. It is an invitation to contribute meaningful research at the interface of wildlife ecology, landscape change, and public health while building a versatile skill set that opens doors across academia, government, and the private sector.
With field sites in the dynamic Greater Boston region, collaboration across leading institutions, and mentorship from an experienced landscape ecologist actively engaged in national research networks, you will emerge with a strong thesis, publications in progress, presentation experience, and professional connections.
If you are ready to advance your training in urban wildlife ecology with modern tools and high-impact questions, prepare your materials and contact Dr. Thilina Surasinghe soon. Opportunities like this — fully funded, methodologically rich, and societally relevant — do not appear every cycle.
For more fully funded graduate assistantships, scholarships, and career development resources in ecology, biology, and environmental fields, explore additional opportunities and alerts regularly. The deadline for initial review is approaching — start your application materials today.