funded opportunities
In collaboration with Bat Conservation International, we are seeking a full-time research technician to manage bat field studies in western Oklahoma (Tadarida brasiliensis) and northern Texas (Myotis velifer). The successful applicant will have relevant experience working with wild bats and will lead data collection activities during monthly (Oklahoma) and quarterly (Texas) sampling trips alongside coordinating project logistics, performing data entry and management, overseeing sample organization, and managing field supply inventory and purchasing. Applicants must be responsible, show attention to detail, communicate and work well with a small team, and be highly organized. The successful applicant will also have opportunities to contribute to other projects, including but not limited to field sampling of local migratory sparrows in winter and spring as well as of frugivorous bat species in Panamá.
This position is ideal for recent graduates with MS or BA/BS degrees in ecology, wildlife biology, mammalogy, or conservation with relevant field experience working on bats. The successful applicant will be able to begin between January and early February 2025, with the position funded for at least two years. The minimum annual salary for this position is $35,000 (depending on experience), plus benefits at OU. Interested applicants should send their resume, a brief letter of interest, and contact information for two references to [email protected] by end of October 2024. More information is provided here.
This position is ideal for recent graduates with MS or BA/BS degrees in ecology, wildlife biology, mammalogy, or conservation with relevant field experience working on bats. The successful applicant will be able to begin between January and early February 2025, with the position funded for at least two years. The minimum annual salary for this position is $35,000 (depending on experience), plus benefits at OU. Interested applicants should send their resume, a brief letter of interest, and contact information for two references to [email protected] by end of October 2024. More information is provided here.
graduate students
Note that we do not foresee taking on new graduate students during the 2024–2025 application cycle
Prospective graduate students can be accepted into the School of Biological Sciences (MS, PhD) and EEB graduate program (PhD). Work in the lab mostly focuses on bats and birds, but students should be primarily driven by questions and an interest in integrating some combination of field, computational, and molecular approaches. Graduate students should be keen to establish independent lines of research and will have the opportunity to build skills in pathogen discovery, immunology, epidemiological modeling, machine learning, and meta-analysis. To get an idea of different research directions in our group, see some core lab publications in Ecology Letters, Journal of Animal Ecology, Proceedings B, Lancet Microbe, One Health, and Frontiers in Immunology.
When specific funded opportunities to join the lab are not advertised above, prospective students should send an email to [email protected] outlining their research experiences, interests, and possible topics of graduate study with their CV. Providing sufficient detail about possible questions you would like to ask for a MS or PhD is important, as it gives a good sense of how you think about science. The University of Oklahoma annual deadline is December 1st for students starting in August, so please get in touch well in advance. Students are encouraged to consider writing a fellowship (e.g., NSF GRFP or the Ford Foundation) to help develop their interests and maximize their independence. Otherwise, incoming graduate students can be supported by graduate teaching assistantships, though our group actively pursues state and federal grant opportunities to provide graduate research assistantships when possible.
The School of Biological Sciences at the University of Oklahoma has strong expertise in biogeography, animal behavior, and aeroecology. Students will have access to infrastructure including but not limited to molecular biology, proteomics, and supercomputing, alongside established field sites for wild bat and bird research in Oklahoma, Texas, Belize, and Panama. We also regularly collaborate with teams across the Americas and Europe and in Kenya and Australia.
Prospective graduate students can be accepted into the School of Biological Sciences (MS, PhD) and EEB graduate program (PhD). Work in the lab mostly focuses on bats and birds, but students should be primarily driven by questions and an interest in integrating some combination of field, computational, and molecular approaches. Graduate students should be keen to establish independent lines of research and will have the opportunity to build skills in pathogen discovery, immunology, epidemiological modeling, machine learning, and meta-analysis. To get an idea of different research directions in our group, see some core lab publications in Ecology Letters, Journal of Animal Ecology, Proceedings B, Lancet Microbe, One Health, and Frontiers in Immunology.
When specific funded opportunities to join the lab are not advertised above, prospective students should send an email to [email protected] outlining their research experiences, interests, and possible topics of graduate study with their CV. Providing sufficient detail about possible questions you would like to ask for a MS or PhD is important, as it gives a good sense of how you think about science. The University of Oklahoma annual deadline is December 1st for students starting in August, so please get in touch well in advance. Students are encouraged to consider writing a fellowship (e.g., NSF GRFP or the Ford Foundation) to help develop their interests and maximize their independence. Otherwise, incoming graduate students can be supported by graduate teaching assistantships, though our group actively pursues state and federal grant opportunities to provide graduate research assistantships when possible.
The School of Biological Sciences at the University of Oklahoma has strong expertise in biogeography, animal behavior, and aeroecology. Students will have access to infrastructure including but not limited to molecular biology, proteomics, and supercomputing, alongside established field sites for wild bat and bird research in Oklahoma, Texas, Belize, and Panama. We also regularly collaborate with teams across the Americas and Europe and in Kenya and Australia.
postdoctoral researchers
Prospective postdoctoral researchers are encouraged to collaborate on funding proposals to complement work in the lab. Possible funding sources include the NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology, NIH National Research Service Award, and Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Fellowships. We are especially interested in prospective researchers with strong track records in approaches complementary to those used in the lab, such as animal tracking technologies, metagenomics and bioinformatics, and phylodynamics. Postdoctoral researchers will be expected to contribute to a collaborative lab environment while also developing their own interests and future career trajectory. Please get in touch with a CV, summary of interests, and proposal ideas.
undergraduate students
We encourage undergraduates with interests in infectious disease, wildlife ecology, computational biology, or immunology to get in touch about potential research involvement. Opportunities exist to gain experience in fieldwork, pathogen diagnostics, mathematical modeling, and data synthesis. We suggest students commit 3–4 hours per week per credit hour. Paid seasonal positions are often offered for local bird and/or bat fieldwork. Prospective undergraduates should send an email outlining their interests in the lab, their year and major, and their desired degree of involvement to [email protected].
