If you have been searching for a fully funded PhD in wildlife biology USA that puts you in the field rather than only behind a laptop, this one is worth a close look. The University of Wyoming is recruiting a doctoral Graduate Research Assistant to study how forest songbirds survive and reproduce after prescribed fire, wildfire, and thinning in the southern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
The position is based in Laramie, with fieldwork in western Wyoming. It comes with a stipend of $2,418 per month plus tuition, fees, and health insurance. The planned start is 30 August 2027, or earlier if a strong candidate is ready.
That combination is rare: a funded doctoral seat, a famous landscape, a conservation-relevant question, and a lab that already has multi-year bird data waiting to be used.
Scholarship Summary
- Host Country: USA
- Host University: University of Wyoming (Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, Program in Ecology and Evolution)
- Scholarship Type: PhD Scholarships (Doctoral Graduate Research Assistantship)
- Eligible Countries: Open to applicants from all countries who meet academic, fieldwork, and (if applicable) visa and English-language requirements
- Scholarship Benefits: Full tuition fee, Living stipend, etc.
- Application Deadline: Open until filled. The Natural Resources Job Board lists 20 November 2026. Review of applications has already begun, so early submission is strongly advised.
Why This Opportunity Stands Out
Many graduate listings promise “funding pending.” This one does not. The assistantship is attached to the Chalfoun Lab in the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, housed in the Department of Zoology and Physiology and the campus-wide Program in Ecology and Evolution. The project is a partnership with the Ricketts Conservation Foundation, and the student will also join WYOBIRD, Wyoming’s collaborative bird-research network.
The scientific question is practical and timely. Land managers in the Rocky Mountains use fire and mechanical thinning to reduce fuels, restore structure, and mimic historic disturbance. Those treatments change canopy cover, understory, snags, and food webs. Forest songbirds respond quickly, but not all species respond in the same way. Some gain nest sites. Others lose cover from predators. Some rebound within a few years. Others decline.
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This PhD will measure those differences in demography: abundance, survival, productivity, and related vital rates across treated and untreated habitats.
The Research Question in Plain Language
The student will ask how the demography of forest songbirds differs across three habitat treatments in southern Greater Yellowstone:
- Prescribed fire
- Wildfire
- Forest thinning
The work will not start from zero. The project will use several previous years of IMBCR (Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions) point-count surveys and MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) netting data. The incoming student will then add new seasons of fieldwork: bird surveys, mist-netting and banding, nest searching and monitoring of focal species, and habitat measurements.
That design matters. Short studies can describe where birds are present. Longer studies, with capture-recapture and nest data, can explain whether populations are actually replacing themselves. For conservation agencies, that distinction is the difference between a pretty map and a management recommendation.
Who Supervises the Project
The advisor is Dr. Anna Chalfoun, Assistant Unit Leader for Wildlife at the USGS Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and faculty member in Zoology and Physiology and the Program in Ecology and Evolution.
Her lab studies wildlife-habitat relationships, nest predation, life-history strategies, and the effects of human-caused habitat change on non-game species. Much of that work has focused on sagebrush songbirds and energy development, but the lab’s broader theme is consistent: why animals choose particular habitats, and how well they survive and reproduce once they get there. Learn more on the Chalfoun Lab page and Dr. Chalfoun’s USGS staff profile.
Students in Cooperative Research Units sit at an unusual junction. They are graduate students at a public university, but their projects are built with state and federal cooperators. That usually means the science has an applied destination: wildlife agencies, land managers, and conservation partners who need answers they can use.
Funding, Timeline, and Location
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Position | PhD Graduate Research Assistant |
| Stipend | Starting at $2,418 per month |
| Additional support | Tuition, fees, and health insurance |
| Hours | 40 per week |
| Education required | Bachelor’s degree (master’s preferred) |
| Location | Laramie, Wyoming; fieldwork in western Wyoming |
| Start | 30 August 2027, or earlier (job-board window also lists 10 May–27 August 2027) |
| Expected end | Between 1 September 2032 and 1 September 2033 |
| Review | Immediate; open until filled (board date: 20 November 2026) |
Laramie is a small university city at the edge of the Medicine Bow Range. Field sites in western Wyoming sit closer to the Greater Yellowstone landscape: high elevation, steep terrain, short summers, and long field days. Applicants should be honest with themselves about that physical setting before they apply.
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Who Should Apply
The posting is written for someone who already likes hard field seasons and wants to turn them into publishable science.
Minimum qualifications
- B.S. or B.A. in wildlife biology, biology, ecology, or a related field
- Some relevant field research experience
- Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher (and master’s GPA if applicable)
- Commitment to an inclusive and respectful work environment
- Commitment to publish in peer-reviewed journals and present to partners
- Strong work ethic; able to work independently and in a team
- Strong interest in research, avian ecology, and wildlife conservation
- Ability to communicate respectfully with partners and peers
- Valid driver’s license
- Ability to hike in steep and varied terrain
Highly desirable qualifications
- M.S. in wildlife biology, biology, ecology, or a related field
- Quantitative skills and some statistical analysis experience
- At least one peer-reviewed publication
- Experience capturing, handling, and banding small birds
- Strong writing skills
A master’s degree is not required, but it is clearly an advantage. So is banding experience. If you have MAPS, IBP, or similar station work on your CV, say so early in the cover letter.
Is This Open to International Applicants?
The official advertisement does not restrict nationality. That is different from many U.S. agency jobs that require citizenship. A graduate research assistantship at the University of Wyoming can be a route for international students, provided they later satisfy graduate admission, English proficiency, and visa rules.
University of Wyoming graduate international applicants typically need official transcripts, proof of English proficiency (common minima include TOEFL iBT 76, IELTS 6.5, or Duolingo 110, unless a program sets a higher bar), a passport copy, and, in some cases, proof of financial support. Students on a full graduate assistantship may not need the same financial documentation. See UW Graduate International Admissions and UW Graduate Admissions.
Two practical caveats still apply:
- The position requires a valid driver’s license and independent field travel.
- The first filter is the lab, not the online graduate portal. Contact Dr. Chalfoun first. Do not treat this as a mass application to the university.
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How to Apply
Applications go directly to the advisor, not through a public HR portal.
Email a single PDF to Dr. Anna Chalfoun at achalfou@uwyo.edu containing:
- A cover letter that highlights your interests and qualifications
- A CV
- Names and contact information (phone and email) for three professional references
Review began as soon as the position was posted and continues until a qualified candidate is identified. Questions should also go to Dr. Chalfoun at the same address. The original listing is on the Texas A&M Natural Resources Job Board.
What a strong cover letter should do
Keep it specific. Generic praise for “Wyoming’s wildlife” will not separate you from the pile. Address at least these points:
- Why forest songbird demography, not just “I like birds”
- How fire, thinning, or disturbance ecology already shows up in your experience
- What field skills you can offer on day one (point counts, nest searching, banding, habitat plots)
- What quantitative tools you can already use (R, occupancy models, survival analysis, mixed models)
- How you work with agency or NGO partners
- Why the Chalfoun Lab, the Coop Unit, and WYOBIRD are a better fit than a generic ecology program
If you lack a master’s degree, use the letter to show that you understand the jump in independence that a Ph.D. requires.
How to Make Your Application Competitive
Because review is rolling, speed and fit matter more than a perfect, over-designed packet.
- Lead with evidence. List species, habitats, protocols, and your role. “Assisted with avian fieldwork” is weak. “Ran daily MAPS nets, banded passerines, and entered data in Bandit” is useful.
- Show you can finish a paper. One manuscript, even as a middle author, is a signal. If you do not have a publication, describe a senior thesis, agency report, or analysis you completed.
- Treat statistics as part of the science. This project will combine historical survey data with new capture and nest data. Candidates who can talk about detection probability, nest survival, or hierarchical models will stand out.
- Be honest about fitness and logistics. The posting asks for hiking on steep terrain. Western Wyoming field seasons can include early mornings, elevation, weather, and irregular housing. Do not apply if that is a deal-breaker.
- Choose references who can speak to field reliability. A professor who saw you in class is less useful than a crew leader who saw you extract birds, hike off-trail, and keep a clean datasheet.
Why Greater Yellowstone Is the Right Classroom
The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is one of the last largely intact temperate ecosystems in the lower 48 states. It is also a working landscape: national parks, national forests, private ranches, fire scars, beetle-killed stands, and communities that live with wildfire.
That mix is exactly why a demography study is valuable. Managers need to know whether fuel treatments that protect towns and timber also support breeding birds, or whether some treatments create ecological traps. A doctoral student who can answer that with field data and clear writing will leave with skills that agencies, universities, and conservation groups actually hire for.
The partnership with the Ricketts Conservation Foundation also matters. The foundation already runs songbird work in western Wyoming, including MAPS banding and studies of bird response to wildfire and aspen regeneration near Bondurant. That kind of partner network can shorten the usual gap between a graduate project and real field capacity.
Career Paths After a Project Like This
A Ph.D. built on surveys, banding, nest monitoring, and habitat treatments maps onto several common career tracks:
- University faculty or research scientist positions in avian ecology and conservation
- USGS or Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit scientist roles
- State wildlife agency research or nongame bird programs
- Federal land-management science (Forest Service, BLM, NPS)
- Bird Conservation Region and joint-venture science positions
- NGO science roles at groups that run IMBCR, MAPS, or similar monitoring
The posting is explicit about expected outputs: peer-reviewed papers and presentations to partners. That is not extra work on top of the degree. That is the degree.
Useful Links for Applicants
- Official job posting: Graduate Research Assistant (PhD), University of Wyoming
- Chalfoun Lab
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
- UW Department of Zoology and Physiology
- UW Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution
- WYOBIRD
- Bird Conservancy of the Rockies / IMBCR
- MAPS program, Institute for Bird Populations
- Ricketts Conservation Foundation
- UW graduate admissions
- UW international graduate requirements
Final Advice Before You Hit Send
This is not a classroom-only Ph.D. It is a multi-year field project in a mountainous ecosystem, followed by analysis of both legacy monitoring data and new demographic data. The funding package is strong for a U.S. wildlife assistantship. The advising environment is applied and publication-focused. The deadline on paper is flexible, but the review is not waiting.
If your background includes birds, field endurance, and a clear wish to link habitat management with population outcomes, prepare the single PDF and email Dr. Anna Chalfoun at achalfou@uwyo.edu. For a fully funded PhD in wildlife biology USA that is tied to a real conservation question, few 2027 openings are this direct.