Open position:

***11/29/2023. We're recruiting for a PhD position focused on post-fire transformations of forests and shrublands!

See details HERE (PDF).

Applications due January 15th 2024***

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Interested in joining the lab? Great!

I am interested in hearing from prospective grad students who are excited about landscape ecology, fire ecology, causes and effects of ecological disturbance, and conservation, restoration, and adaptation science. I consider research experience to be a necessary criterion for students I consider, as well as analytic proficiency, a positive attitude, capacity for independent and critical thinking, and strong work ethic. Projects in the lab range from field-oriented to computing intensive research, and all points in between. Graduate students are expected to develop skill and understanding in quantitative methods and the theoretical context supporting their research. Prospective students are encouraged to contact me by email, preferably in September or October prior to the department’s January application deadline for students intending to start their program in the Fall session. 

Please note, funding is always a question when it comes to grad school. I will only consider taking on graduate students if I can support them through various research grants, or if the student is able to acquire their own scholarship or grant funding (e.g., NSF GRFP). Funding cycles are idiosyncratic, so sometimes I'll find out about funding in Winter or Spring before the Fall start of the academic year -- in which case I'll advertise for these positions through competitive recruitment. The January departmental deadeline is more of a soft "guideline" that's tied to our internal scholarships pool, and we can still recruit new students for graduate positions well into the summer.

If you're interested in possibilities for joining the lab and discussing the work we do, please send me a CV and a brief statement of your research experience and interests. Though not a necessity, I like to meet applicants in person if possible so let me know if you live close to the Corvallis area or will be visiting Oregon, or we can meet on Zoom. If not, I frequently travel for meetings so hopefully we’ll have a chance to meet in some location or other.

Graduate school is challenging, but my goal is to make this time as rewarding and fun for students as possible. I will provide a collaborative environment but within this I encourage students to take ownership of their dissertation/thesis research by developing ideas they’re interested in pursuing with their science. My philosophy is one of encouraging students to develop critical thinking and research independence.

Postdocs/Research Associates:

If you’re interested in joining the lab as a Postdoc or Research Associate, contact me to inquire about my existing funding situation for these positions. Generally, I will circulate adverts for Postdocs and Research Associates through Ecolog and post these opportunities on my webpage. If you have your own postdoc funding let me know the ilk of your interests and we can talk about opportunities.