Undergraduate Students
I am always looking for motivated undergraduates interested in getting hands on research experience to both help with current graduate student research projects and conduct independent research projects. You don’t have to wait to be a senior to get involved in research!
Take a moment to look over our lab webpage, particularly our current research, current student interests, and publications. Please contact me by email and tell me a little about yourself and your research interests. Once I hear from you, I will get in touch about finding a time to meet in person.
Graduate Students
To quote Ray Huey, “Graduate school provides an opportunity for you to change from being someone who reads to someone who is read. That is a major metamorphosis, indeed. Not surprisingly, it presents challenges as well as opportunities”. I take great pride in my graduate students as they become independent researchers and relish my role as an advisor as students navigate the ups and downs of graduate school. If you are looking at this page, you are in for an exciting time ahead!
In most years I accept one or possibly two new graduate students (MS and PhD). First and foremost I am looking for students that have an enthusiasm for science, a wonder for the natural world and are excited to be part of a team of scientists with interests in understanding the mechanisms underlying the vulnerability of aquatic organisms to multiple environmental stressors.
If you haven’t done so already, please:
- Browse the lab website to read about our current research projects and a little about what our students are up to these days.
- Take a moment to look at the publications page and read about some of our recent work.
If after steps 1 and 2, you think that our lab might be for you, please contact me and tell me a little about yourself. Please be sure to include the following:
- Reasons for your interest in graduate research and your motivation for joining the lab. Remember that finding a place to do your graduate work is as much about you being a good fit with our laboratory group as you finding a place where you feel you can grow and be excited to come to school everyday.
- Previous research experiences (including molecular/biochemical/physiological laboratory techniques or fieldwork). Some of you may be coming from schools where there are not opportunities to conduct research outside of your coursework. Not to worry. Tell me a bit about your experiences from your lab courses.
- Future research interests. There is no right answer here but it should fit broadly into the types of research questions that drive our research program.
- GPA and GRE scores (with %) and relevant coursework. The scores will help me gauge your competitiveness for scholarships.
Applying for Graduate School at UC Davis
The graduate program structure at UC Davis is somewhat unique. Unlike most universities that house specific graduate programs within a particular department, ‘graduate groups’ at UC Davis are distinct units that include faculty mentors from many departments across campus. This model is designed to be interdisciplinary, encouraging students to interact broadly across departmental lines. I currently belong to two graduate groups: 1) Animal Biology Graduate Group (ABGG), and 2) the Graduate Group in Ecology (GGE) where my declared area of emphasis (AOE) is Physiological Ecology, but am also involved in the Marine Ecology AOE.
Application Deadline: Applications are generally due mid-December to mid-January, but please consult each graduate group website for specific deadlines and admission requirements. Do not wait to contact me until after you have applied to UC Davis for graduate work. Please contact me as soon as possible. For general information about UC Davis graduate programs visit the Office of Graduate Studies.
I look forward to hearing from you!