Paid Graduate Research Assistantship in Forest Ecology: Lincoln University, Missouri, USA ($25,000/Year + $6,000 Tuition Support)

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For US citizens with a Bachelor’s in forestry, ecology, or natural resource management who want to pursue a fully funded Master’s degree while contributing to meaningful long-term research on oak forest regeneration — this assistantship offers a clear and well-funded pathway.

Lincoln University of Missouri is offering a Master of Science Graduate Research Assistantship with Dr. Isaac Hayford at the Cooperative Research Department, focusing on bottomland oak ecology and silvicultural management. The position pays $25,000 per year in stipend plus $6,000 per year in tuition support for two years.

Application deadline: 30 September 2026. Start date: January 2027.

What the Position Covers

The combined value of $31,000 per year (stipend plus tuition) is a competitive package for a US forest ecology Master’s position. Lincoln University is a historically Black land-grant institution in Jefferson City, Missouri — with a Cooperative Research Department that has a strong track record in applied agricultural and ecological research.

The Research: What You Will Work On

The project investigates long-term responses of oak reproduction to a series of silvicultural release treatments applied over years in bottomland hardwood forests in Missouri. Bottomland hardwood forests — riparian forests in floodplains and low-lying areas — are ecologically significant and increasingly under management pressure. Understanding how oak regeneration responds to different silvicultural interventions is directly relevant to both conservation management and sustainable forestry practice.

Your specific duties:

• Completion of required graduate coursework
• Field sampling in bottomland forest sites
• Statistical data analysis
• Completion of a Master’s thesis
• Publication in peer-reviewed journals

This is genuine field and analytical research — not primarily a laboratory position. The field component involves working in Missouri’s river bottom forests, which means exposure to heat, humidity, insects, and variable weather conditions.

Who Should Apply: Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in forestry, ecology, natural resource management, or related field
• Strong interest in forest management
• Strong quantitative data analysis skills — specifically R or SAS
• Excellent English communication skills (oral and written)
• Valid US driver’s licence

Preferred: Experience with field sampling, forest inventory, or silvicultural research

Citizenship restriction: Funding is restricted to US citizens. Non-citizens should not apply.

How to Apply

Email the following materials directly to Dr. Isaac Hayford at hayfordi@lincolnu.edu:

1. Cover letter addressing your interest in the project and highlighting relevant experiences
2. CV or resume
3. Contact information for three references
4. Unofficial undergraduate transcript

Apply as soon as possible — while the deadline is 30 September 2026, positions like this fill when the right candidate is found.

For more information and application: 

Visit the official website of the Paid Graduate Research Assistantship in Forest Ecology