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Prospective Graduate Students

Update: I am no longer considering inquiries for Fall 2024 admission. I will next be recruiting for Fall 2026 or 2027 admission. I will begin considering inquiries for 2026 or 2027 admission in June 2025. Stay tuned!

I accept PhD students through the UW Department of Biology Graduate Program. While researchers in our lab are motivated to apply our research towards conservation, we have fundamental interests in basic ecological theory. I look for graduate students who are self-driven, value curiosity, creativity, and diverse perspectives, and are willing team-players. Students should have strong quantitative and writing skills and be comfortable doing fieldwork at remote sites. The lab welcomes students from diverse backgrounds and is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in our work and anti-racism in our field. 

Currently, field-based projects are focused on two study systems: 1) African carnivores in Botswana (see my partner organization, Botswana Predator Conservation), and 2) penguins in Argentina (see the Center for Ecosystem Sentinels Magellanic Penguin Project). There are plentiful opportunities for projects using existing data outside of these systems, but these systems are where long-term data collection and ongoing fieldwork in my lab are currently targeted. 

Graduate Student Funding

If admitted, the Biology Graduate Program will provide 5 years of guaranteed funding support (salary, benefits, & tuition), a substantial portion of which may be through Teaching Assistantships. To the extent possible, I strive to offer partial funding support to offset TAships, however I encourage all prospective students to pursue alternative internal and external funding opportunities available to them. Below are some fellowship resources, including several that are available to students who are not yet accepted to a graduate program.

Internal funding opportunities:

• A comprehensive list of fellowships compiled by the UW Graduate School

• Departmental funding (enrolled students)

External funding opportunities:

• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (US citizens, nationals, and permanent residents only)

• Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship (US citizens, nationals, and permanent residents, individuals granted deferred action status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, Indigenous individuals exercising rights associated with the Jay Treaty of 1794, political asylees, and refugees)

• NASA PhD Science GEM Fellowship Program (US citizens, nationals, and permanent residents only)

• Smithsonian Fellowships and Scholarships (All nationalities eligible)

• Your local Phi Beta Kappa chapter may have additional fellowships available

• Graduate Women in Science National Fellowship Program

Funding opportunities for international students:

• Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) Scholarship Program

• Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Graduate Scholarship Program

• American Association of University Women (AAUW) International Fellowships

• Fulbright Foreign Student Program (varies by country)

• Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO) International Peace Scholarship

• Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future Fellowship Program

Prospective Postdocs

I value postdoctoral researchers in the lab and welcome those with independent funding or those who would like to pursue independent funding to reach out. Here are some postdoctoral fellowship opportunities:

• Washington Research Foundation (WRF) Postdoctoral Fellowship - 3 year fellowship

• National Science Foundation (NSF) Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology - 3 year fellowship

• David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellowship - 2 year fellowship

• Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship - 1 year fellowship

• L'Oreal USA for Women in Science Postdoctoral Award - $60,000 towards research or salary