Finding a Faculty Sponsor

The more you know about a prospective faculty sponsor, the better off you are going to be in convincing them of your interest in working with them. To learn more about individual faculty, view their profiles on their departmental websites. When you contact a faculty member about sponsoring you, be sure to include your resume and a brief description of why you would like to join their lab. OEB faculty who have expressed an interest in taking on a new student are listed at the bottom of this page.

Note that faculty are extremely busy and sometimes get behind in responding to emails. It is your responsibility to follow-up either by phone or another email.

Acceptance into OEB is dependent upon meeting academic standards, having faculty support and securing funding. OEB does not accept students unless we can offer a financial package. Competition is stiff; even the most exceptionally qualified students are not necessarily guaranteed acceptance. Stellar students who secure grants or fellowships are particularly appealing to advisors, as they already have a proven track record and bring their own funding. Students with research experience, excellent letters of reference and publications are also at an advantage.

More about Funding

Each year we receive applications from 50-75 students, most of whom are academically well-qualified. Of those, we are able to fund only 5-8 students. Unfortunately, as our program does not accept students for whom it cannot provide financial support, many admission decisions come down to funding.

OEB has limited means to provide financial support. Therefore, the faculty member who sponsors your application must agree to provide a substantial portion of your financial package through their research grants. Thus, you need to convince prospective advisors that you are a good investment.

Most OEB grad students are supported by a combination of Teaching Assistantships (TA, provided by OEB) and Research Assistantships (RA, provided by advisors). Typically we offer 2 years of support to MS students and 4 years of support to PhD students. Whether a student is supported by a TA or an RA, tuition and most fees are waived.

A small number of our students have NSF Predoctoral Fellowships or other extramural funding. Each year a few are funded by one-year University Fellowships. We strongly encourage both incoming and continuing students to apply for extramural funding.

OEB Faculty who are seeking students for Fall 2010

OEB faculty who have expressed an interest in taking a new student for the next academic year are listed here. Other faculty may be interested if just the right student comes along.

Lynn Adler
DEPARTMENT: Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences
RESEARCH INTERESTS: Plant-animal interactions
Jeff Blanchard
DEPARTMENT: Microbiology
RESEARCH INTERESTS: Influence of environmental changes on the evolution of molecular processes; Evolution of microbial cellular and community networks
Ana Caicedo
DEPARTMENT: Biology
RESEARCH INTERESTS: Plant molecular evolution and evolutionary genomics
Cristina Cox Fernandes
DEPARTMENT: Biology
RESEARCH INTERESTS: Community ecology, sexual dimorphism, morphology and taxonomy of electric fish
Betsy Dumont
DEPARTMENT: Biology
RESEARCH INTERESTS: Mammalian morphology, evolution, and biomechanics
Gary Gillis
DEPARTMENT: Biological Sciences, Mt. Holyoke College
RESEARCH INTERESTS: Biomechanics and neuromuscular control of vertebrate locomotion
Francis Juanes
DEPARTMENT: Natural Resources Conservation
RESEARCH INTERESTS: Marine fisheries ecology and behavior
Laura Katz
DEPARTMENT: Biology, Smith College
RESEARCH INTERESTS: Tree of Life; genome evolution in microbial eukaryotes
Ben Letcher
DEPARTMENT: Conte Research Fish Lab & Natural Resources Conservation
RESEARCH INTERESTS: Population ecology of anadromous fish
Ben Normark
DEPARTMENT: Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences
RESEARCH INTERESTS: Evolution of alternative genetic systems in insects
Sheila Patek
DEPARTMENT: Biology
RESEARCH INTERESTS: Evolutionary biomechanics of movement and communication
Paul Sievert
DEPARTMENT: Natural Resources Conservation
RESEARCH INTERESTS: Conservation biology, physiological ecology and biostatistics
Andrew Whiteley
DEPARTMENT: Natural Resources Conservation
RESEARCH INTERESTS: Conservation genetics and evolutionary ecology of fishes