GRADUATE STUDIES IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION AT VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
The Department of Biology at Virginia Commonwealth University invites applications from prospective graduate students for Fall 2012. We have a diverse Ecology and Evolution faculty engaged in research in Virginia and around the world. Emerging research clusters include population and community ecology, evolutionary genetics, computational biology & river science. Graduate students may apply through our Biology Masters in Science or Integrative Life Sciences Ph.D. programs. Competitive funding and tuition waivers are available to qualified students in both programs, and may include fellowships, and research/teaching assistantships. Please visit www.has.vcu.edu/bio/ to find information about both programs. VCU is the largest public university in Virginia. We are located in Richmond, VA on the James River, within easy reach of the Virginia coastal plain, Chesapeake Bay, Virginia barrier islands and Blue Ridge Mountains, providing excellent opportunities for research in diverse natural systems. VCUs Rice Center for Environmental Life Sciences, located 30 minutes from campus, encompasses 342 acres of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems along the James River and provides an outstanding resource for field-based research by both faculty and graduate students. Facilities include new office and lab space, conference center, and boat house. For more information, see www.vcu.edu/rice/. On campus research facilities include the Trani Center greenhouse, aquatics facility, and IACUC approved animal facility. A satellite lab of the Nucleic Acids Core Facility provides a broad range of support for molecular approaches. Access to several next-generation DNA sequencing platforms is also available. The Environmental Analyses Laboratory provides state-of-the-art analytical services to support research in the environmental sciences. The Bioinformatics Computational Core Laboratory supports several supercomputing clusters and a research laboratory with access to state-of-the-art genomics and proteomics software and databases for research applications. Faculty in Ecology & Evolution include: John E. Anderson, Remote sensing and environmental Biology Bonnie L. Brown, Ecological and conservation genetics Lesley Bulluck, Population ecology, ornithology, conservation Paul Bukaveckas, River and ecosystems ecology Rodney J. Dyer, Population genetics and phylogeography Andrew J. Eckert, Evolutionary genetics and genomics Michael L. Fine, Acoustic communication and ecology of fishes Rima B. Franklin, Microbial ecology and environmental microbiology Gregory C. Garman, Fish ecology and conservation Christopher M. Gough, Forest ecophysiology and ecosystem ecology Derek M. Johnson, Spatial population ecology, plantinsect interactions Karen Kester, Behavior, evolutionary ecology, plantinsect interactions Dan McGarvey, Fish Ecology Leigh McCallister. Aquatic ecology and oceanography Stephen McIninch, Fish ecology Maria C. Rivera, Computational evolutionary biology and phylogenetics Leonard A. Smock, Stream ecology and aquatic entomology James M. Clint Turbeville, Animal systematics and evolution James R. Vonesh, Population and community ecology Donald R. Young, Plant physiological ecology Julie C. Zinnert, Remote sensing, plant physiology, plant ecology Competitive students have GPAs >3.0 and combined GRE scores 1,100 or greater. Experience, reference letters, and rationale for applying to the program are important elements of the application. Prospective students must apply through VCU's graduate school (http://www.vcu.edu/graduate/ps/admission.html) or through the Office of International Education (http://www.vcu.edu/oie/). For full financial consideration, applications must be received by January 15. Applicants that have identified faculty sponsors are more likely to be accepted and to receive financial support. Interested students are strongly encouraged to contact prospective mentors directly for more information, or graduate studies directors Dr. Jennifer K. Stewart (Biology MSc; www.has.vcu.edu/bio/graduate/) or Dr. Robert Tombes (Integrative LS PhD; www.vcu.edu/lifesci/phd/).
