University of Montana · Montana · posted yesterday
With support from Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, the University of Montana Fish and Wildlife Genomics Lab is recruiting a PhD student that will focus their efforts on several outstanding questions concerning hybridization between native cutthroat trout and introduced rainbow trout. Conservation geneticists and fisheries managers in the state of Montana have been focused on describing, monitoring, understanding, and addressing hybridization between native cutthroat trout and rainbow trout for 50 years. Indeed, rainbow trout hybridization is often considered the primary threat to native cutthroat trout in Montana (and beyond). However, long-term and spatially extensive data collections are beginning to reveal widely varying patterns of hybridization across space, and divergent changes in hybridization through time. This project will use multiple sources of information to modernize our understanding of the threat of non-native hybridization for cutthroat trout conservation. The ultimate goal of this project is to leverage various existing resources, including what is likely the world’s most extensive hybridization monitoring program, to better identify what management strategies will be most appropriate for cutthroat trout across Montana. This project includes two collaborative parts: (1) a post-doctoral student will focus on potential genomic mechanisms (e.g., incompatibilities) that may explain observed differences in hybridization across the state; and (2) the PhD project being advertised here will use long-term, spatially extensive data to better describe hybridization dynamics, and the potential factors that may explain heterogenous hybridization outcomes. There are nearly 50 years of genetic data describing the extent of rainbow trout hybridization in cutthroat trout populations in Montana, including more than 100,000 individually genotyped fish. These foundational monitoring data provide a remarkable opportunity to better describe both spatial and temporal patterns of hybridization across all cold-water habitats in the state over decades. Specific research questions include (but are not limited to): 1. How has the extent of rainbow trout hybridization changed across different watersheds in Montana? 2. Do spatial and temporal changes (increases) in rainbow trout hybridization match expectations based on abundance and distribution of rainbow trout, environmental conditions, or random mating? 3. How common is genomic extinction, and what landscape features (e.g., isolation vs. connectivity) are associated with genomic extinction across space and time? 4. Can spatial and temporal changes in hybridization be explained by genomic incompatibilities described/identified with genomic results? (in collaboration with post-doc) Ultimately, these questions (and other related questions) will be used, along with genomic analyses above, to better identify the mechanisms that promote or resist rainbow trout hybridization across WCT and YCT populations in Montana. Overall, this work will be used to directly identify those geographic regions (or environmental or genomic conditions) that are most susceptible and to rainbow trout hybridization, and in contrast, those that appear most resilient. In so doing, this project will help biologists and managers more accurately assess risk across the wide variety of environmental conditions and intrinsic genetic/genomic variability found in cutthroat trout, both within and between species. While the project clearly has a defined conservation focus, the overall topic and the unprecedented data set leaves opportunity to directly address key questions in the broader fields of population genetics and evolutionary ecology. The ideal candidate for this position will have a solid understanding of population genetics, but equally importantly, experience with (or strong desire to learn) modern statistical approaches to data analysis (e.g., generalized mixed modeling, Bayesian modeling, etc.), and data generation (e.g., environmental data). Preferred skills include strong bioinformatic skills, programming in R or Python, and strong communication skills. Available funding provides 4-years of PhD support (6 semesters of RA support, 2 semesters of TA support). Student would be located at the University of Montana and be a part of the Wildlife Biology Program. Anticipated start date January 1, 2027. The prospective student would need to apply to the UM Graduate School by November 15, 2026. Application review will begin October 15th. For more information, please contact Andrew Whiteley or Ryan Kovach at an email established specifically for this position: hybridizationphdmontana@gmail.com
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