Graduate Fellowship in Agriculture, Energy, and Climate Adaptation (University of Arizona)
The School of Geography, Development, and the Environment at the University of Arizona is excited to announce a four-year, fully funded graduate fellowship starting August 2022. The fellowships are funded by the US National Science Foundation and the US Department of Agriculture, and will provide the fellow the opportunity to explore the physical, ecological, and plant ecophysiological implications of a sustainable solution for our food and energy systems in ‘agrivoltaics’. Agrivoltaics co-locates agriculture and renewable energy production, increases food production, and reduces water use, and the fellow will conduct cutting-edge research in this interdisciplinary research area.
The fellows will work toward a PhD in Geography under the supervision of Dr. Greg Barron-Gafford. The fellowships cover tuition, provide summer employment, include health insurance, cover travel to research sites, and provide a stipend.
The School of Geography, Development, and the Environment at the University of Arizona hosts one of the top US graduate programs in geography, with faculty and research spanned across physical, human/environment, human, and developmental geographies. For the last 10 years, Dr. Barron-Gafford has studied the potential for agrivoltaics to improve resilience in food, renewable energy production, and water use. The current phase of this research invites the fellow into an interdisciplinary team, including food producers and solar industry experts, where they will learn about integrating physical, ecological, plant ecophysiological, and social sciences in an applied setting.
The fellow will work across Arizona, Colorado, and international partner sites to capture the complex and dynamic potential barriers and opportunities for adoption of agrivoltaics as a climate adaptation solution.
Interested applicants can learn more at our website, a recent NPR Story, or watch a video about ongoing agrivoltaic research across Arizona and Colorado at https://tinyurl.com/agrivoltaics.
Qualifications:
* Experience in two or more of the following scholarly areas:
dryland ecology
food systems and climate change
renewable energy systems
* Research experience in at least one of the previous areas is a priority
* Experience conducting plant ecophysiological measurements, monitoring ecosystem function, or modeling plant or ecosystem performance is preferred.
Reach out ASAP to learn more.
You can email Dr. Barron-Gafford at [email protected] to learn more.
If you wish to pursue this fellowship opportunity, you must apply as a PhD student to the School of Geography, Development, and the Environment at the University of Arizona by January 5th, 2022, but please let me know if you need an extension.
Please see this site for more information: https://geography.arizona.edu/maphd-program/apply
