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I want to encourage potential graduate students with interests in ecology and evolution to consider joining our lab. You can find information about the Dal Biology graduate program, and particularly the application process here, but first, take some time to peruse the research work done in the lab, and see whether your research goals and interests seem to fit with this direction. At Dalhousie, the primary determinant of acceptance to grad school is a faculty supervisor willing to support your thesis research (that's me). Students who line up a supervisor before applying are far more likely to be accepted than those who submit applications without this support. If I am going to sponsor a student for admission to grad school in my lab, I expect them to have some sort of research direction that they would like to take. This doesn't mean you have to have a formal research proposal complete with experimental protocols. Your research interests will no doubt change and develop as you go through grad school. What you should have is some idea of the type of questions that interest you, and some awareness of the current state of the field (ie, some idea where you want to go and where you are starting from). I expect graduate students entering my lab to have some undergraduate-level background in Ecology, Evolution, Genetics and Statistical Analysis, with some sort of upper level courses in one or two of these areas. You should also have some sort of research experience comparable to an Honours Thesis. This is a key ingredient in having some idea of where to begin your graduate study and research. Please note that the focus of the lab is ecology and evolution of natural populations. We are NOT a laboratory of genomics, bioinformatics, biotechnology, or crop breeding. Students who desire to work in these fields would be better served in a different program. Honours and Summer Undergraduate Students. Undergraduate research, whether through the Honours program or as a summer undergraduate student, gives students a chance to gain some firsthand experience of how scientific research is actually done. Thus, you can gain both a deeper understanding of science, as well as some insight into whether it is something you would like to pursue further. Potential Honours students should have a look at the Honours Website, which explains many of that program's requirements. Potential summer students should keep an eye out for the announcements for various summer fellowships, such as NSERC, or the Sarah Lawson Awards. These are usually announced early in the winter semester. Unlike graduate students, whom I expect to be somewhat independent, It's OK for honours students to just have a 'general interest in ecology/evolution/genetics'. You don't have to have a specific research question in mind, because, well, because undergraduates aren't really at that level of experience yet (that's what an honours program is for). My usual approach with honours students is to identify one or two parts of the lab's overall research program that is manageable for an undergrad, and suggest that you take that on as a project. This means that you are doing "real" research, but with a direction and framework already in place. You can learn from this both how to handle the "nuts and bolts" of doing a (small) research project, as well as how this small project integrates into a larger research program. For an honours project, it helps if you have taken the Biology core classes especially Ecology, Evolution, and Genetics. Taking STAT 2080 also helps in many cases. Students have done Honours with me in the past, and took one of these courses while doing the project, but having this background definitely helps you with the project. As much as I would love to have postdocs in the lab, I must be up-front and say that I do not have enough funding at present to fund a postdoc's salary. Of course, (how shall I put this delicately?) in that happy event you have both your own funding, and an interest in joining the lab, please do not hesitate to contact me. | potential students |
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