Position Summary
The successful candidate will work in collaboration with scientists from Michigan State University, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife (MSU-FW) and USDA-APHIS out of the National Wildlife Research Centre (NWRC) in Fort Collins, CO. The MSU scientist (PI: Dr. Henry [Rique] Campa III) works on wildlife habitat ecology and ecosystem management, with an emphasis on wildlife-habitat interactions and the effects of disturbance on species, populations, and communities. The NWRC scientists (PIs: Dr. Kim Pepin and Dr. Kurt VerCauteren) are applied quantitative disease ecologists with emphasis on understanding spatial processes of disease spread for risk assessment and control.
As part of a broader collaboration with researchers from USDA-APHIS-Veterinary Services, and managers and veterinarians from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), we aim to provide methods and insight for eliminating bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in Michigan. This is an excellent opportunity to develop a framework for understanding and managing spillover at the wildlife-livestock interface that will be applied in practice. The candidate will gain experience in working on a collaborative team with managers and researchers while expanding their skills in quantitative ecology and the scope of their professional networks. The postdoctoral fellow is expected to:
1) Develop risk maps of bTB occurrence in free-ranging white-tailed deer and transmission at the wildlife-livestock interface using bTB surveillance and host demographic data from deer and cattle.
2) Develop data-based models to predict effects of different spatial vaccination strategies in either or both host species on elimination probability and rate.
3) Develop mechanistic transmission models of bTB in deer that consider animal space use in real landscapes and use the models to evaluate effectiveness of alternative control measures (e.g., habitat manipulation, biosecurity measures) alongside vaccination strategies.
4) Collaborate with research team members and natural resources managers from the USDA, MSU-FW, and the MDNR to meet the project goals.
