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/).
