For more details about this position, contact Connie Maxwell at alamosa@nmsu.edu.The candidate hired for this position must be an NMSU graduate student pursuing a master’s or doctorate degree in the Water Science and Management (WSM) Graduate Program. To apply for admission, go to https://gradschool.nmsu.edu/. For more information about the WSM Graduate Program, go to https://wsm.nmsu.edu/ or contact Marcus Gay at marcusme@nmsu.edu.To inquire further about available graduate positions, email Dr. Sam Fernald at afernald@nmsu.edu.When applying for the position, please include in the cover letter: 1) your general research and career goals and 2) if you are interested in obtaining a MS or PhD. Note that interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis until position is filled.Job Duties:A graduate research assistantship is available starting in the Spring 2021 semester at New Mexico State University, funded through the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute (NM WRRI). The position is an exciting opportunity to be part of a multi-disciplinary, collaborative stakeholder and scientific group that is seeking innovative solutions to long-standing and pressing dryland restoration questions. The areas of work focus upon low-impact watershed restoration to support stakeholder goals in the Southern New Mexico region, primarily by increasing upland watershed ecological and agricultural productivity to reduce flood energy and sediment transport. Research goals focus upon both the social and the natural systems and include gaining greater understandings of: i) how to achieve actual improvements in watershed health and water management through collaboratively working with stakeholders, particularly land and water managers and ii) the tightly coupled water and vegetation dynamics typical to drylands, particularly in the distinct ecological zones of flow. Opportunities exist to participate in regional watershed restoration research, planning, and implementation through innovative projects. Successful candidates will have a strong academic record in hydrology, ecology, biology, environmental science, or a similar natural resource related field, as well as the ability to effectively collaborate and work independently. Preference will be given to applicants who have an interest in addressing stakeholder issues, have previous field research experience, and an enthusiasm for working outside in southwestern US climates. Requirements:Responsibilities will be to assist and collaborate in field research, follow-up data collection, office post-analysis, GIS analysis on multiple scales (from finer-scales such as floodplains to regional scales), research analysis, working with stakeholders, and returning the data to the people who need it for watershed management. Opportunities exist to synthesize the research and additionally work on community-based planning projects to inform future land and water management. The student will work closely with a NM WRRI Postdoctoral Researcher and both will report to Dr. Fernald.May be subject to a criminal history background check.