Graduate students
In most years, I accept one or possibly two new graduate students (MSc or PhD) into my lab. If you are interested in applying, here are a few useful pieces of information. First, UBC is great, Vancouver is great, and marine ecology in British Columbia is especially great. Next, Canadian research grants are relatively small, and it is very important that students apply for their own funding (e.g., an NSERC postgraduate scholarship). It is difficult for me to accept students who do not have their own funding, although exceptions can be made for highly ranked applicants who may be competitive for support through UBC. To discuss the possibilities of joining my lab, please send me an email. Emails that contain research interests, a CV, and unofficial transcripts are particularly helpful.
Undergraduate students
I am very open to having undergraduates work with me and my grad students. There are several ways in which this can happen: Directed Studies or honors thesis work for UBC credit, a summer USRA, or a work study position if funding is available. USRA and work study undergraduates provide lab and field assistance to ongoing projects and work on an independent project of their own. Directed studies students focus almost entirely on an independent research project. If things go well, any of these pathways could result in undergraduate co-authorship on a published paper (this has happened several times in the past few years). If you are interested in working with us, it is helpful if I know you (e.g., you’ve taken one of my classes).
Post-doctoral fellows
I encourage prospective postdoctoral fellows to contact me with potential research ideas. Most Canadian grants are too small to fund a postdoctoral salary, which puts the onus on the applicant to secure her or his own funding. In addition to government-funded postdocs, there are several rotating postdoctoral positions associated with the UBC Biodiversity Centre that are worth looking into.