Opportunities

Post-doctoral positions: I am not currently recruiting, but I welcome inquiries regarding specific project ideas and funding sources.

Graduate positions: I am not currently recruiting, but I welcome inquiries regarding specific project ideas and funding sources.

Undergraduate positions: I always welcome inquiries from ODU undergraduates seeking research experience; please email me.


Thinking about pursuing a graduate degree?


Graduate school can be an incredibly exciting and rewarding experience. And, note that it is possible to be paid to earn your degree and to have your tuition covered, because as a graduate student you are contributing to the research mission of a university. If you are thinking about graduate school, consider:

1. What do you want to do in the long term? A MSc or PhD program provides intensive training in research. Career paths therefore generally include conducting or interpreting research. For example, you may conduct your own research as a professor or a public agency scientist (e.g., US Geological Survey), or use research products to build policies (e.g., US Fish and Wildlife Service) or guide societal change (e.g., NGOs). Opportunities, salaries and benefits, and other details vary widely among career paths; talking to people already in these paths will give you invaluable insight.

2. Identify a potential research advisor. Use Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Web of Science, or other online databases to search through peer-reviewed research publications. Read papers that interest you and note the authors – these are potential advisors.

3. If you identify a potential advisor, find their webpage and check if they are advertising for open positions in their lab.

4. Even if a potential advisor is not advertising an open position, email them directly. Keep your email short and specific. State your relevant background and your interest in going to graduate school. Attach a polished CV; don’t worry, this is not presumptive, it is useful.

5. There are many ways to strengthen your CV. Research experience is extremely valuable, as are research presentations or papers. General leadership experience is valuable. Highlight courses that you completed that are relevant to the interests of the potential advisor. Good test scores and a high GPA are great. If you don’t have them, don’t let that stop you. Note that many graduate programs are dropping their GRE requirement. If your GPA is low, you may want to briefly explain extenuating circumstances, such as illness or a family matter, in your email or cover letter for an application. If your GPA is below a cutoff, you may take additional classes to bring it up (if you have already graduated, consider taking them as a non-degree-seeking student).

6. Seek your own research funding. Find grants, scholarships, and fellowships that could support you. If you can apply before graduate school, do so. If you need a graduate advisor to apply, describe the application that you wish to pursue in your email to your potential advisor.

7. Search online databases for graduate opportunities that have been posted by potential advisors:


Once you have an opportunity to enroll in graduate school, here are some key considerations:

8. In graduate school, the advisor and the research project are of utmost importance. This is not like selecting an undergraduate program: in graduate school, your experience will depend much more on your advisor and your lab group than on the institution as a whole. In communicating with a potential advisor, and hopefully with their current or past graduate students, try and understand:

    • Do they have healthy and professional relationships with their students?

    • What is their approach to mentoring students?

    • How often do they meet one-on-one with their students?

    • How do they provide training and guidance?

    • How do they foster independence in their students?

9. Learn about the research direction of the potential advisor. Review the papers that they have published for the last several years to get a sense of their current interests.


10. Learn about the graduate program culture. How many faculty and students are included? What is the breadth and depth of research interests? What are the events that bring members together, such as coffee hours, social receptions, and seminar series?

11. What will be your research project?

    • Is there a structured project in place that a student can join? If so, is there a proposal or other overview document that can give a summary?

    • What opportunities exist for the student to develop independent projects?

    • What infrastructure is available for use, such as lab equipment and field sites?

    • What are the publication expectations for the student?

12. Finally, make sure that you understand these logistical aspects before committing to a graduate school position. Although the purpose of a graduate program is to train you for the rest of your career, you need to know what will happen during the 2-3 years (typical for MSc) or 5-7 years (typical for PhD) that you will be in the program.

    • Research funding

      • Is there any funding specifically intended for this project?

      • Will the advisor assist the student in seeking their own research funding?

    • Student stipend

      • What is the cost of living in the area? How much does housing cost?

      • Is there a graduate student stipend? How much is it?

      • Is it a 9-month or 12-month stipend? If 9-month, what are the opportunities for summer stipends?

      • Are you expected to teach (i.e., is it a teaching assistantship)? What are the teaching duties?

    • Health insurance

      • Does the university provide any assistance with health insurance?

    • Tuition coverage

      • Is tuition paid, or does the student pay their own tuition?

      • If there is coverage, is it a tuition waiver (no tuition is charged) or remission (university pays tuition)?