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I am seeking 1-2 PhD students to join the group in Fall 2026 to study wild–domestic ungulate interactions and/or social-ecological drivers and consequences of ungulate mobility in extensive grazing systems. Please get in touch!
Photo by Yi Lu
JOIN US !
We aim to build a collaborative, supportive, and diverse research group that pursues scientific questions grounded in basic theories and motivated by implications for conservation and sustainability. Lab members may contribute to ongoing projects or develop independent research, whether through fieldwork or data synthesis. Current field expertise is concentrated in two rangeland/grassland systems (photos on the Visuals page): (1) the western United States, specifically Wyoming, and (2) the eastern Tibetan Plateau, specifically Ja’thang (འཇའ་ཐང་།).
We look for lab members (whether postdocs, graduate students, or undergraduate students) that can:
Conduct independent research while collaborating within a team environment
Embrace interdisciplinary perspectives and methodologies
Build strong quantitative skills and reproducible research practices
For those doing fieldwork - thrive in challenging field conditions
Stay curious!
To ensure an equitable process of consideration, please share your information with me by responding to a small set of standard questions if you are interested in joining the group. I will reach out to candidates who are potentially a good fit to discuss further.
FUNDINGS AND SUPPORTS
Photo by རགས། Rags
Graduate students
I accept graduate students (MS and PhD) through the Environmental Conservation (ECo) graduate program and the Organismic and Evolutionary Biology (OEB) graduate program.
While I offer partial funding support (salary, benefits, and tuition) to students whenever possible (through teaching and research assistantships), I encourage all prospective students to pursue internal and external funding opportunities. Below are some funding opportunities, including several that are available to students not yet accepted to a graduate program:
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Graduate Scholarship Program
Simons Graduate Fellowship in Ecology and Evolution (all nationalities)
Smithsonian Fellowships and Scholarships (all nationalities)
American Association of University Women International Fellowships
Graduate Women in Science National Fellowship (all nationalities)
Fulbright Foreign Student Program (varies by country)
Philanthropic Educational Organization International Peace Scholarship (women from outside of US or Canada)
Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future Fellowship Program (women from developing or emgering countries)
NASA PhD Science GEM Fellowship Program (US citizens and permanent residents only)
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (US citizens and permanent residents only)
Postdoctoral researchers
I always welcome opportunities to support potential postdocs with independent funding or those who would like to pursue independent funding, if our interests align. Some potential options are:
Human Frontier Science Program Postdoc Fellowship (note the eligibility varies based on whether you are from an HFSPO country)
Other postdoctoral research and policy fellowship resources for the US and globally:
Undergraduate students
We are working on developing an undergraduate research program in our research group, and we will post opportunities when they arise. In the meantime, check out the UMASS Office of Undergraduate Research and Studies, NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduate Students, and/or sign up for ECOLOG-L!