[转] RPG Recruitment (SBS in HKU)

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学环境或海洋生物的筒子有机会啦~

Ecosystem History and Macroecology Research Laboratory
at The University of Hong Kong

Contact:
Dr. Moriaki Yasuhara
Assistant Professor of Environmental Science
School of Biological Sciences and
Department of Earth Sciences
The University of Hong Kong
Kadoorie Biological Sciences Building
Pokfulam Road
Hong Kong
moriakiyasuhara@gmail.com
yasuhara@hku.hk
Tel: (852) 2299 0317
Fax: (852) 2559 9114
http://sites.google.com/site/moriakiyasuhara/
http://www.hku.hk/biosch/aboutusAS_as.html

Background and research focus:
There is a growing biological evidence of ecosystem responses to global climate and other environmental changes in annual or shorter time scales, and, in contrast, modern paleobiology have revealed paleoecological and macroevolutionary dynamics throughout earth’s history. However, only a little is known about the ecosystem responses in decadal–multi-millennial time scales, even though consequence of future climate and environmental changes in these time scales is our main concern. My primary research interest is to elucidate marine ecosystem and biodiversity response to global climatic and human-induced environmental changes in these time scales by integrating high-resolution microfossil (small organisms preserved as fossils) records and geochemical data in the rapidly developing field of paleoceanography. Even though microfossils are important as “windows” to see past ecosystems because of the most extensive fossil records of all kind of fossils, there are a limited number of studies from modern paleobiological and macroecological (i.e., large-scale ecological) viewpoints. From this perspective, PI Yasuhara has been conducting highly multidisciplinary research through active collaboration with national and international
colleagues.

Research topics currently focused on:
1. Climatic impacts on shallow-marine (including coastal embayments, continental shelves, and coral reefs) and/or deep-sea ecosystems*
2. Large-scale biodiversity pattern and its controlling factor(s) in time and space *
3. Human-induced shallow-marine ecosystem degradation*
4. Taxonomy and morphological evolution of deep-sea Ostracoda*
*All of these research will be conducted mainly based on microfossils (especially Ostracoda and/or Foraminifera) preserved in the sediment cores or outcrops.

Postgraduate opportunities:
Graduates with good quality degrees are encouraged to apply for MPhil or PhD degrees. Students should initially contact PI Yasuhara (yasuhara@hku.hk) with CV and details of their research interests. Three different sources of postgraduate funding are available (http://www.hku.hk/postgrad/), as well as one fully funded studentship immediately available:

Fully funded studentship:
One postgraduate position is immediately available with a monthly studentship of HK $13,000.
Hong Kong PhD Fellowships (HKPF):
The HKPF provides each awardee with a monthly studentship of HK $20,000 and a conference and research related travel allowance of HK $10,000 per year for a period up to three years. Intended for students with an outstanding academic record and international applicants in particular.
Deadline: 1st December 2011

University Postgraduate Fellowships (UPF):
The UPF provides HK $70,000 per annum on top of the standard Postgraduate Studentships (described below). Intended for students with an outstanding
academic record and international applicants in particular.
Deadline: 8th December 2011

Postgraduate Studentship (PGS):
Full-time MPhil and PhD students who hold a first degree with 2nd class honours first division (or equivalent) or above are considered eligible to receive a Postgraduate Studentship. The basic level of the studentship is HK $13,100 per month.
Deadline: 8th December 2011

Additional information:
Overseas applicants who wish to know more about living in Hong Kong and studying at The University of Hong Kong can find useful information online at
htt://www.hku.hk/rss/pp2009/overseas_app.html
The following references may be useful to know about PI Yasuhara's research as well as his website (http://sites.google.com/site/moriakiyasuhara/).

Yasuhara, M., Hunt, G., Cronin, T.M. and Okahashi, H., 2009. Temporal latitudinal-gradient dynamics and tropical instability of deep-sea species diversity.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106: 21717–21720.
Yasuhara, M., Cronin, T. M., 2008. Climatic influences on deep-sea ostracode (Crustacea) diversity for the last three million years. Ecology 89, S53–S65.
Yasuhara, M., Cronin, T. M., deMenocal, P., Okahashi, H., Linsley, B. K., 2008. Abrupt climate change and collapse of deep-sea ecosystems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 105, 1556–1560.
Yasuhara, M., Yamazaki, H., Tsujimoto, A., Hirose, K., 2007. The effect of long-term spatiotemporal variations in urbanization-induced eutrophication on a benthic ecosystem, Osaka Bay, Japan. Limnology and Oceanography 52, 1633–1644.