Lab
My new lab is at U. of Tennessee, Knoxville. If you are interested in joining it, please contact me. Like most researchers, I seek independent, creative thinkers. Students should have a strong interest in evolutionary biology or other areas of biology (ecology, epidemiology) where the application or development of phylogenetic techniques would be helpful. Extensive math and programming knowledge is desirable but not strictly required. Do not let lack of some particular skill discourage you from applying -- passion for the work is most important (though passion plus competence is better).
There is currently (Sept. 2009) an open postdoc position as part of the iPlant trait evolution group. The group's mission is to help create tools to use large (>10,000 taxon, perhaps 500K taxon) trees to understand trait evolution. The postdoc will communicate with biologists, computer scientists, developers, and others. Contact me if you are interested. This is a great opportunity to help create tools that will help dramatically in the future when the tree of life nears completion and to be among the first to use such tools on enormous trees to make new discoveries. There is also an NSF postdoc research fellowship in biological informatics that might be appropriate for people wanting to work with me: deadline is Oct. 14, 2009. Other postdoc opportunities appear further down the page. [note that applicants for postdocs with me may also be interested in this postdoc with Luke Harmon or this one with Charlie Nunn (and vice versa).].
To apply to graduate school in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (PhD and MS), see here. The deadline is Dec. 15, annually. Students are generally admitted with the intention of working with a particular faculty member, so it is important to contact her or him early in the process. The department only admits as many students as can be funded. In my experience so far with UTK EEB graduate students, they appear happy and productive. Creating skilled, thoughtful researchers seems to be a focus of the department. Cost of living in Knoxville is surprisingly low (do a comparison yourself), especially given that the city itself is culturally vibrant, has good schools and health care, and is nestled in a beautiful environment. Admitted students are funded through TAships. However, there are other sources of funding available (often through a competition), such as NSF Graduate Student Fellowships (due in early to mid-November), PEER funding (for underrepresented minority students, which can include gender, ethnicity, first in family to go to college, etc.), SCALE-IT (for students who want training in applying computational tools to biology), and NIMBios TAships and RAships.
Undergraduates interested in UTK should see this site. See here for deadlines. Contact me for opportunities in my lab, especially if you have project ideas.
The National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBios), recently created at UTK, has several opportunities for those who want to work with me, people in my lab, or any of the other faculty, postdocs, or students at UTK, NIMBios, or Oak Ridge National Labs, as well as those who want to forge collaborations with researchers around the world with or without involvement of local researchers. These include postdoctoral fellowships, sabbatical fellowships, and short term visitor funding (1-4 weeks), as well as the opportunity for working groups, investigative workshops, and even UTK faculty positions.
For more info on the lab, see page of lab standards. Below, you can see a plan of the layout for the grad student/postdoc space -- my new office will be right across the hall.
