Joining the lab:
Starting the summer of 2012:
I will be an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, and I am interested in recruiting motivated graduate students and postdocs to join the lab there. There will be field-based ecological studies, experiments in greenhouses or local field sites, as well as database-driven synthetic projects going on in the lab.
Graduate Students:
My goal as an advisor is to help graduate students become broadly trained in ecology and evolution and to develop an independent body of research that serves your long-term career interests. You may work in your own system or within one of the ongoing research projects in the lab, but either way it is essential that you learn to ask your own independent, informed research questions that you can then address in a tractable way. This process is very rewarding, but does require perseverance and hard work. First and foremost, I am looking for students who are passionate and enthusiastic about ecology, as a love for the science will serve you very well through the inevitable ups and downs of research. On my end, you can expect committed mentoring, regular one-on-one meetings, and the support to develop as an independent researcher. Students are expected to take advantage of the resources available by engaging in lab meetings, journal clubs, and interactions with other research groups on campus and in the area.
For most students, applying through Behavior, Ecology, Evolution and Systematics (BEES) concentration in the Biological Sciences Graduate Program (BISI) will make the most sense. If you are interested in joining the lab, please email me with information about your academic background, your research interests, and a little about how you see my lab and UMD supporting your long-term goals.
Postdoctoral Researchers:
I am always interested in having postdocs join the lab, and the resources both within the department as well as in the Washington DC area present many exciting opportunities for collaborations. Please email me and we can discuss research interests and funding opportunities that may be available externally or through the lab.
Singing Pass, BC.