Join Us.
In addition to the research outcomes of individual projects, students in my lab should expect to gain expertise in a particular organism or group of organisms and/or a specific place in the world (e.g. geological history, community composition). Students will also develop their communication skills, particularly writing, so that they can continue to make important contributions to their field and to the communities that they serve.
Undergraduates
If some of the the things you see on this website spark your interest and you are curious about working in a scientific lab in some capacity (e.g., simply helping out and becoming familiar with what we do, working on a special project, or attempting your own research project), please contact me! I love working with students who are enthusiastic, curious, motivated, and hard-working. Sometimes it can be intimidating to contact a faculty member, but it is worth it: it may help you craft your own career path and is a great way to gain a deeper understanding of science in general. I am especially looking for students who might have skills (or strong interest) in photography, microscopy, molecular phylogenetics tools, computers, Photoshop, and aquaria (particularly marine aquaria). I am also looking for students who might be interested in looking for invertebrate animals locally and throughout New York State, and/or rearing invertebrates in captivity. If you have other ideas, I am open to discussion. Please send me an e-mail to schedule a meeting.
Prospective Graduate Students
Graduate school involves a serious commitment of your time and energy. You owe it to yourself to think deeply about your career goals and some of the "big questions" that intrigue you most. One common theme among successful graduate students is that they tend to be self-motivated. Your graduate adviser will be an integral part of your graduate program, but there needs to be something internal that drives you. If something on this website sparks your curiosity and you think you'd like to pursue graduate work with me, please send me an e-mail. For the main winter deadline at SUNY-ESF, the best time to initiate contact would be early to mid-Fall. Our application deadline at SUNY-ESF is January 15. Note that a good GPA will be very helpful in securing competitive teaching assistantships that will help fund your time in grad school. You should also become familiar with some of the fellowship programs (e.g. NSF pre-doc, EPA STAR) that could help you fund your research yourself and make you a highly attractive candidate.
I am most interested in students who would like to pursue conservation, biogeography, and phylogenetics and/or morphological evolution projects on understudied invertebrate animals (e.g. New York State and Pacific island land snails; interstitial aquatic invertebrates or "meiofauna"). I would also be excited to work with students with ideas and motivation to pursue conservation-focused projects in Micronesia or New York State. If your proposed work doesn't fit snugly into these categories, I might still be interested—if you've got a great scientific question that overlaps with my interests (see research page), or if you have expertise in a group of organisms that happens to live in one of my study areas, it is definitely worth some discussion. Check out the SUNY-ESF website to learn more about our unique institution, which shares a campus with Syracuse University. ESF also offers some really special places to conduct your research: field stations in the New York State wilderness and abroad (e.g. Costa Rica). I am keen to promote taxonomic expertise in understudied invertebrates throughout the tropics, so if work in the Neotropics is your calling, ESF might have what you are looking for.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Currently I do not have funding to support a postdoc, but if you are interested in working with me and either have your own funding or would like to co-write a grant together, please feel free to contact me. ESF's location near Syracuse University, Colgate University and Cornell University provides potential additional opportunities for interaction with diverse colleagues. I should also note that if you have training in a different field (e.g. geology) but are keen to work in Belau, there is a huge well of questions just waiting to be answered. . .
Undergraduates
If some of the the things you see on this website spark your interest and you are curious about working in a scientific lab in some capacity (e.g., simply helping out and becoming familiar with what we do, working on a special project, or attempting your own research project), please contact me! I love working with students who are enthusiastic, curious, motivated, and hard-working. Sometimes it can be intimidating to contact a faculty member, but it is worth it: it may help you craft your own career path and is a great way to gain a deeper understanding of science in general. I am especially looking for students who might have skills (or strong interest) in photography, microscopy, molecular phylogenetics tools, computers, Photoshop, and aquaria (particularly marine aquaria). I am also looking for students who might be interested in looking for invertebrate animals locally and throughout New York State, and/or rearing invertebrates in captivity. If you have other ideas, I am open to discussion. Please send me an e-mail to schedule a meeting.
Prospective Graduate Students
Graduate school involves a serious commitment of your time and energy. You owe it to yourself to think deeply about your career goals and some of the "big questions" that intrigue you most. One common theme among successful graduate students is that they tend to be self-motivated. Your graduate adviser will be an integral part of your graduate program, but there needs to be something internal that drives you. If something on this website sparks your curiosity and you think you'd like to pursue graduate work with me, please send me an e-mail. For the main winter deadline at SUNY-ESF, the best time to initiate contact would be early to mid-Fall. Our application deadline at SUNY-ESF is January 15. Note that a good GPA will be very helpful in securing competitive teaching assistantships that will help fund your time in grad school. You should also become familiar with some of the fellowship programs (e.g. NSF pre-doc, EPA STAR) that could help you fund your research yourself and make you a highly attractive candidate.
I am most interested in students who would like to pursue conservation, biogeography, and phylogenetics and/or morphological evolution projects on understudied invertebrate animals (e.g. New York State and Pacific island land snails; interstitial aquatic invertebrates or "meiofauna"). I would also be excited to work with students with ideas and motivation to pursue conservation-focused projects in Micronesia or New York State. If your proposed work doesn't fit snugly into these categories, I might still be interested—if you've got a great scientific question that overlaps with my interests (see research page), or if you have expertise in a group of organisms that happens to live in one of my study areas, it is definitely worth some discussion. Check out the SUNY-ESF website to learn more about our unique institution, which shares a campus with Syracuse University. ESF also offers some really special places to conduct your research: field stations in the New York State wilderness and abroad (e.g. Costa Rica). I am keen to promote taxonomic expertise in understudied invertebrates throughout the tropics, so if work in the Neotropics is your calling, ESF might have what you are looking for.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Currently I do not have funding to support a postdoc, but if you are interested in working with me and either have your own funding or would like to co-write a grant together, please feel free to contact me. ESF's location near Syracuse University, Colgate University and Cornell University provides potential additional opportunities for interaction with diverse colleagues. I should also note that if you have training in a different field (e.g. geology) but are keen to work in Belau, there is a huge well of questions just waiting to be answered. . .
Top: Field Assistant Rachael Orben captures Jesse Czekanski-Moir hiking through the Rock Islands of Belau (Republic of Palau) as the tide comes in. Photo: R. Orben
