Insect pollinators power ecosystems and agriculture worldwide. Bees, flies, beetles, butterflies, and other flower visitors support the reproduction of roughly 87 percent of flowering plant species and contribute to the production of many of the foods people rely on every day. Yet these insects face mounting pressures from habitat loss, intensive land use, climate shifts, and changing management practices. One understudied but critically important piece of this puzzle lies in ranch management—the decisions ranchers make about grazing intensity, rotation timing, and vegetation structure that can either erode or enhance the habitats pollinators need.
A new, fully funded graduate opportunity puts this question at the center of cutting-edge research. The Lichtenberg Lab at the University of North Texas is recruiting a PhD or MS student for a USDA-funded project examining the impacts of ranch management on insect pollinators, plants, and soil microbes. The selected student will focus specifically on the pollinator component, combining fieldwork on working North Texas ranches, insect identification, and analysis of a multi-year ecological dataset. This is a rare chance to conduct applied research with direct relevance to biodiversity conservation, sustainable rangeland management, and food-system resilience while receiving competitive support.
Scholarship Summary
- Host Country: USA
- Host University: University of North Texas (Denton, Texas)
- Scholarship Type: MSC Scholarships/PhD Scholarships
- Eligible Countries: All Countries
- Scholarship Benefits: Full tuition fee, Living stipend, etc.
- Application Deadline: September 30, 2026
Why Ranch Management Matters for Insect Pollinators
Rangelands and ranchlands cover vast areas of the United States, especially in regions such as the Southern Great Plains. How these lands are grazed—whether through continuous stocking, high-intensity rotational systems that mimic historic bison patterns, or lower-frequency rotations—shapes the availability of floral resources (nectar and pollen), nesting sites (bare ground, stems, cavities), and microhabitats that different pollinator groups require. Research already shows that pollinator taxa respond differently to local and landscape features. Bare ground may favor certain bees and butterflies while reducing fly abundance; more diverse flower communities can increase bee richness but decrease beetle numbers; and surrounding woodland cover can influence diversity more strongly than grassland cover itself in some systems.
The Lichtenberg Lab’s ongoing work builds on these insights. Earlier projects, including collaboration with the Dixon Water Foundation and other North Texas ranches, have quantified how grazing regimes affect plant-pollinator interactions and the resources that support them. A related USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) project has examined high- and low-frequency rotational grazing and their effects on food and shelter resources for bees, beetles, flies, butterflies, and moths. The new USDA-funded position expands this line of inquiry, investigating both direct effects of management and indirect effects mediated by habitat modification. Results will inform practical recommendations for ranchers and land managers who want to maintain livestock production while supporting pollinator biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides.
Students joining this project will gain hands-on experience that few graduate positions offer: regular fieldwork on active ranches, taxonomic skills in insect identification, quantitative analysis of multi-year datasets, and the opportunity to contribute to both fundamental ecology and applied conservation. The work sits at the productive interface of community ecology, behavioral ecology, and land-use science.
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Details of the Funded PhD Position in Pollinator Ecology
The position begins after June 1, 2027 (summer or fall start) and is based at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. Funding includes semester and summer salary in the range of $26,400 to $28,320 per year, a tuition scholarship, and health insurance for PhD students or a Health Assistance Scholarship for MS students. Students are expected to work at least 20 hours per week on the research.
Research activities center on the pollinator component of the larger project. Fieldwork will take place at local North Texas ranches. Students will collect and identify insects, measure habitat variables, and analyze existing multi-year data that track changes in biodiversity under different management regimes. The broader project also examines plant communities and soil microbes, creating natural opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration within the lab and with partners.
The Lichtenberg Lab combines community and behavioral ecology to study plant-animal interactions, pollinator foraging behavior, and insect biodiversity. Lab members investigate how land-use change and management practices alter these phenomena, working at the boundary of basic science and real-world application. The group maintains a strong commitment to an inclusive and supportive training environment for students from diverse backgrounds. More information about the lab’s research themes, publications, and people is available on the lab website: https://cos.unt.edu/biology/lichtenberg-lab/index.html.
UNT itself is an R1 research university and a Minority Serving Institution as well as a Hispanic Serving Institution. It is also a designated Bee Campus USA. The Department of Biological Sciences houses researchers working on conservation, sustainable production of plant-based materials, environmental education, remote sensing, and neuroscience. The Lichtenberg Lab participates in the Advanced Environmental Research Institute, an interdisciplinary group focused on solutions to pressing environmental challenges. Prospective students can apply through either the Biology or Environmental Science graduate programs, but they must contact the principal investigator first.
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Life and Research in Denton and North Texas
Denton is a vibrant college town repeatedly ranked among the best small towns in America, known for its live-music scene and lively downtown. North Texas offers abundant outdoor opportunities—hiking, swimming, birdwatching, wildflower viewing, and horseback riding—within easy reach of campus. Dallas and Fort Worth, a short drive away, provide museums, theaters, restaurants, and professional sports. For students interested in applied ecology, the region’s working ranches, grasslands, and proximity to both urban and rural landscapes create an ideal living laboratory.
The combination of strong institutional support, an inclusive lab culture, competitive funding, and a research question with clear societal relevance makes this funded PhD position in pollinator ecology especially attractive. Graduates will leave with skills in field ecology, taxonomy, data analysis, scientific communication, and stakeholder engagement—credentials valued in academia, government agencies, non-profits, and private-sector conservation and agricultural consulting.
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Who Should Apply and How to Apply
Applicants need a bachelor’s degree and at least one year of relevant experience. Strong candidates will demonstrate interest in pollinator ecology, plant-animal interactions, insect biodiversity, conservation biology, or related fields, along with the ability to conduct fieldwork and analyze ecological data. Experience with insect identification, statistical analysis (especially in R), or ranch or grassland systems is helpful but not strictly required; motivation and a clear research focus matter more.
The application process begins with direct contact rather than an online portal. Before formally applying to UNT graduate programs, prospective students must email Dr. Elinor Lichtenberg at elichten@unt.edu. Include a current CV, a description of relevant experiences, the degree sought (MS or PhD) and the kinds of research questions of interest, and unofficial transcripts. The application deadline is September 30, 2026. Early contact is strongly encouraged so that Dr. Lichtenberg can discuss fit and provide guidance.
Full details of the posting appear on the Natural Resources Job Board: https://jobs.rwfm.tamu.edu/view-job/?id=117752. Additional lab information, including opportunities pages and public resources on plants and pollinators, can be found at https://cos.unt.edu/biology/lichtenberg-lab/index.html and related UNT pages.
Broader Context and Resources for Readers
Readers interested in the wider importance of this work can explore several complementary resources. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation offers practical guidance on pollinator habitat and land management. The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education programs publish materials on grazing and pollinator-friendly practices. UNT’s status as a Bee Campus and Denton’s recognition as a Bee City reflect local commitment to these issues. For those exploring graduate paths more broadly, sites that aggregate ecology and entomology opportunities, such as the Ecological Society of America job board or specialized lists of graduate positions, remain useful starting points.
Pollinator declines are not abstract. They affect wild plant communities, crop yields, and the resilience of working landscapes. Research that links specific ranch management decisions to measurable changes in insect communities helps close the gap between ecological knowledge and on-the-ground practice. Students who join the Lichtenberg Lab will contribute directly to that effort while building their own scientific careers in a supportive environment.
This funded PhD position in pollinator ecology represents more than a stipend and a degree. It is an invitation to ask how human decisions about land shape the insects that sustain ecosystems, and to generate answers that ranchers, conservationists, and policymakers can use. If the questions of ranch management impacts on insect pollinators, plant-pollinator interactions, and biodiversity under land-use change excite you, reach out to Dr. Lichtenberg well before the September 30, 2026 deadline. The ranches of North Texas, the multi-year datasets already in hand, and a collaborative lab ready to train the next generation of ecologists are waiting.
For the official announcement and contact details, visit the job posting and the Lichtenberg Lab website. Prospective applicants should prepare materials carefully and begin the conversation early. The opportunity to advance both science and sustainable management of rangelands begins with that first email.