Summer Research Assistant: Conservation and Classical Biological Control in Sustainable Agroecosystems

The USDA, Agriculture Research Service, Northern Plains Agriculture Research Laboratory in Sidney, Montana is seeking an enthusiastic and hard-working individual to serve as a biological science aide on projects examining: 1) how landscape structure and crop diversity influence pest insects and their natural enemies (e.g. ladybeetles, parasitoid wasps); and 2) ecological and population factors influencing the successful biological control of rangeland weeds. The research is focused on developing ecologically-based, sustainable and environmentally friendly approaches to pest management. This position involves a mixture of field work (~70%), and greenhouse and lab work (~30%). Some regional travel (*following USDA COVID guidelines) is required. The successful candidate will gain hands on experience with insect and plant field sampling methods, set up and maintenance of experiments, insect rearing and identification, and the chance to work with the diverse fauna associated with cropping and rangeland systems, and multiple aspects of weed ecology, in a team oriented research environment.