Graduate Student Opportunities

General message to prospective graduate students

In my lab we use mathematical and statistical approaches to understand complex patterns in ecology, with emphasis on animal behavior, population dynamics, movement of individuals and populations, life history theory, and ecosystem structure. Many of the models we use are adapted directly from physics, engineering, and economics. They can be difficult to implement and require good quantitative reasoning and computer programming skills. Knowing a scientific computing language like R, C, or Python will give students a big advantage, and though it is not necessary to be able to program at the outset of a degree, you will need to become proficient in at least one of these languages to succeed. A strong background training in statistics, mathematics, or computing, or a genuine interest to learn them through coursework or experience, should prepare you for the kind of work we do.

In principle, I'm keen to supervise students studying any system they like that focuses on the general ecological questions listed above. In practice, however, funding constraints are ever-present, and I do have ideas that I'd like the lab to move forward more generally.  The two areas I'm most personally invested and interested in are quite disjunct; 1) butterfly ecology, evolution, and metapopulation dynamics in the Arctic and Subarctic, and 2) marine mammal behavior, demography, and life history.   However, I'm only slightly less interested in a great many other systems and questions in ecology, and potential students can have a look at my recent publications to get a sense of what else we do in my lab.  So, I will post projects as they come available below, but keep in mind that I'm likely to be interested in related projects or ideas.

Of course, if you have your own funding or would like to apply for your own funding (such as NSF graduate research fellowships, EPA Star fellowships, or similar) there are fewer constraints, but these are highly competitive and hardly a sure bet.

Finally, ecology needs people that are literate in both mathematics and the natural history of their system. Although the quantitative aspects of our lab are important, fieldwork can still be a central part of a student's project, and empirical projects will be encouraged so long as students understand that a thorough quantitative analysis will still be expected.

Current Opportunities

I am unlikely to consider graduate students for admission in the fall of 2024, though I will still consider potential students applying for NSF GRFP or similar fellowships.