Rachel Cook

North Carolina State University is advertising a fully funded PhD Research Assistantship in Spatial Modeling of Forest Growth & Resource Economics within the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources. The project sits at the intersection of quantitative forestry , forest biometrics , remote sensing , GIS , resource economics , and spatial modeling . The selected student will study how site-specific silvicultural interventions—especially fertilization and understory vegetation control—affect loblolly pine growth, landscape yield response, and economic returns under uncertainty across the southeastern United States. Research activities include growth response modeling across 100+ field trial sites, building reproducible spatial workflows with satellite imagery and LiDAR, and developing spatially explicit financial and decision models under volatile input costs and stumpage prices. The student will collaborate with industry partners through the Forest Productivity Cooperative (FPC) and the Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC). Funding includes a $30,000/year stipend for up to 4 years, with tuition, student fees, health insurance, computing equipment, travel funding, and page charges covered. Applicants should have an M.S. in Quantitative Forestry, Forest Biometrics, GIS/Remote Sensing, Forest Economics, Applied Statistics, Data Science, or a related natural resource field. Strong B.S. applicants with substantial quantitative research experience may also be considered. Required skills include R or Python ; experience with LiDAR, satellite imagery, raster analytics, and geospatial processing is strongly preferred. Experience with econometrics, Monte Carlo simulation, dynamic programming, or growth-and-yield modeling is a plus. To apply, submit a single PDF containing a cover letter, CV, unofficial transcripts, and three professional references. Email the materials to [email protected] with the requested subject line. Deadline: 2026-12-15 .