Prospective Students

I use integrative approaches to study the evolution of complex phenotypes. Over the course of my research career, I have made use of naturally occurring and experimentally induced extreme phenotypic variants to investigate the evolution of complex behavioral, life historical, and morphological trait suites in a diversity of biological systems - crickets, mosquitoes, toads, butterflies, and flies. My experimental approach has entailed intensive field work, mesocosm lab studies, lab population/artificial selection studies, and molecular bench work. During my research training, I worked in many labs at universities in the United States and abroad. I have drawn heavily on these experiences in developing my advisement philosophy, and I believe my broad research history to be a strong asset when advising on a wide range of topics and biological systems. Consequently, although my primary research focus is on insect systems, I can advise students on studying a variety of topics using a diversity of biological systems.

Mentorship

I take the responsibility of student advisement seriously, in part because the relationships mentors forge with their students often form the template for professional relationships later in the student’s career. Reflective of this perspective, I feel open communication is essential for success. Student and mentor should effectively relay their expectations and goals, making clear exactly what they hope to gain from working together. This matters critically as the expectations and needs of academic and non-academic career track students, for example, can differ substantially. To ensure that the goals of both mentor and student are met, I feel they should frequently assess each other’s performance as a project or degree program progresses. I have found that many problems in labs result from poor communication of expectations, and I feel it is the responsibility of the group head to ensure that both the mentor and mentee are able to achieve the goals each have for the collaboration.

Research Support

In my view, mentorship typically includes helping students to secure their own research support. By helping students develop competitive applications to fund their research, I guide them toward understanding critically the central issues of their research project, help them to develop their writing skills, and I facilitate the growth of their confidence through professional achievement - preparing them for a successful career in science or nearly any field. By applying for small grants early, students build their CV, increasing the likelihood of securing more competitive money later. Also, managing their own money allows a student to independently pursue their own research agenda, making research more fun.

Travel

Finally, one of the things I enjoyed greatly about my research experience as a student and postdoc was traveling to field sites, visiting other labs, and going to professional meetings in exotic locales. I think travel is an important part of research life and encourage and support research-enhancing travel by students. My work is highly collaborative, providing opportunities for short- and longer-term travel to conduct work in partner labs. Such ‘researcher exchanges’ offer opportunities not just to gain new skill sets, but to experience the varying academic cultures of different campuses and labs, to network with the next generation of scientists, and to grow personally.

Choosing a Program, Selecting a Mentor, and Getting the Most From Your Research Experience

Much is involved in selecting an undergraduate or graduate program, choosing a mentor, and developing a research project. Christine Boake has some good advice when considering programs as well. Moreover, once you are in a research group, there are grants to write, talks to give, committee meetings to arrange … it can seem overwhelming, particularly at first. Scott Keogh has collected information on all these topics into a single, excellent page here. Scott is an old friend from my Master’s days and has been a wildly successful academic; he knows what he’s talking about. From his page, “Unfortunately, postgraduate training in such topics as how to write a successful grant proposal, give a good talk or publish a scientific paper is often given little time in our graduate schools, thus many students do not fully appreciate how important these skills are to their career. I have a long-standing interest in helping students develop the skills they need to be successful in science and so I have constructed this web site as a first source of information on the development of these important life skills.” His page is a valuable resource and well worth your time. John Thompson has written a helpful essay on how to be successful in graduate school. Finally, Stephen Stearns penned what has become essential reading for those at the start of their graduate program, Some Modest Advice for Graduate Students; Ray Huey’s excellent response is here. Read them, print them, and revisit them occasionally; these are classics for good reason. For more, Chelse Prather has a very good compilation of resources for graduate students, postdocs and new faculty members.

Undergraduate research and graduate school can produce heavy burdens on student time and psyche. There is always more work to do than there is time, and students often feel guilty when not working. Papers to read, data to enter, figures to make, time to think … papers to write. It can feel as though your time is not your own. Student must learn to manage their time, and this includes knowing when enough is enough for the day, or the week. Failure to take time away from work can be counter-productive and result in burn-out. Key to success entails knowing that you are good enough to be where you are, setting reasonable expectations for your self, and keeping distinct your value as a person and your academic or research success. The imposter syndrome is common in academia, and you need to guard against it by living right and keeping your work in perspective. See here for more. These kinds of issues can be compounded for students from groups that have been historically and are currently excluded from science, and can lead to stereotype threat, a lack of belonging, and additional struggles in science. It is important to seek mentors that are aware of these issues and that can talk meaningfully about them - they will be better mentors and have a healthier, more supportive lab group than mentors that lack such understanding.

Undergraduate Research

With undergraduates, I typically spend several weeks discussing relevant literature with the students while they rotate through ongoing projects in the lab, learning about our overall research program and the techniques we use. Towards the end of the first semester, we usually develop a central research project on a topic of mutual interest. This primary project is usually closely related to research already underway in the lab. If possible, I prefer that students work with me for at least two semesters, which allows time for completion of the primary project and often permits the student to conduct a related follow-up project more independently. This two-step procedure allows students to first undertake a lower-risk project and then tackle an experiment of their choosing that grows naturally out of findings from their earlier work. I have found that, in some cases, undergraduate projects go very well when students work formally in small groups, and I have received funding designed to facilitate such projects. To date, undergraduates have worked with me in both the lab and the field on a diversity of projects such as the ontogenetic effects of morph determination in spadefoot toad tadpoles, the effects of morphological variation on flight performance in butterflies, the relationship between morphological and flight or courtship song performance in flies. Part of my goals for any student working with me is that they apply for their own funding and that they present their work in a public forum towards the end of their research experience. Some undergraduate projects are highlighted on my People page, under lab members.

I also think it is important to help undergraduates develop applications for the next step in their careers. Consequently, I invest in aiding them find graduate programs, writing applications for graduate/medical/professional schools, etc.

Graduate Research

Although graduate students grow to have largely independent research programs, successful advisement of graduate students requires that they work on topics conceptually related to my own research interests or areas of expertise. Initially, a typical experience in my lab will involve a rotation comprised of reading and conducting preliminary experiments which may or may not be related to my ongoing research. As a student’s interests become more defined, I expect that the student will become more independent. Part of my goal for graduate students is that they identify the outstanding questions in their field and conceive experimental approaches to address them. I also expect students to invest themselves in securing funding for their work, and I apply considerable effort to helping students develop grant applications to support their research. The path a graduate student takes to what becomes their thesis project is often irregular and individualized, so it is difficult to chart a general course that will apply equally well to all students beyond what I describe above. Again, this is why good communication between student and advisor is so important; open communication will ensure success as student interests develop and change through their research experience.

Interested in Joining the Lab?

If you think you might be interested in joining the lab, send me an email with a quick paragraph or two describing your general interests in biology and why you might like to join the group. This will start a dialogue through which we can forge a way forward. You may also want to contact lab members to get their insights on what it is like to be part of the group.