The Hembry Lab in the Department of Biology at James Madison University (JMU) is recruiting two (2) master’s students to fill paid research positions in the evolutionary ecology of insect-plant interactions, supported by an NSF BRC-BIO grant to Dr. David Hembry. I am expecting to fill 1-2 positions in Fall 2025 and the remaining position (if needed) in Spring 2026 and/or Fall 2026.
Research in the Hembry Lab (https://hembrylab.com) primarily focuses on the evolution and ecology of species interactions, with particular focus on brood pollination symbioses between leafflower plants (family Phyllanthaceae) and leafflower moths (genus Epicephala). This relationship is usually mutualistic, with the moths pollinating their host plants and the moths’ caterpillars eating a subset of the host’s seeds. However, this mutualism has also repeatedly evolved to become parasitic, in which the moths cease to pollinate their host plants. Both open master’s positions concern the biology of this mutualism-parasitism transition, and especially focus on the biology of parasitic leafflower moths found in the United States. We are recruiting applicants to work on the following two projects: - One MS student will conduct research on the population genomics and phylogeography of leafflower moths and their host plants in the southern United States. This student will examine host-associated population divergence of an undescribed leafflower moth species on its three host plants (native leafflowers Phyllanthus evanescens and Moeroris abnormis and the recently introduced Moeroris fraternus) in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. This student will have a training visit to the laboratory of Dr. Katrina Dlugosch (University of Arizona). This project will involve a roughly equal mixture of fieldwork, labwork, and computer-based analyses. - One MS student will conduct research on the bacterial microbiomes of leafflower moths, examining variation in microbiomes among host plant genera and across the mutualism-parasitism transition. This student will be co-advised by Dr. David Hembry and Dr. Athenia Oldham (Department of Biology, University of Texas Permian Basin), and will have a training visit to the laboratory of Dr. Gordon Bennett (University of California, Merced). This project will primarily consist of labwork and computer-based analyses, with some fieldwork. Each of the two master’s projects is designed to result in a single first-authored peer-reviewed manuscript for the student. These are paid positions for which recruited applicants will receive four semesters of stipend, two years of summer salary, and have four semesters of tuition and fees covered. Costs associated with fieldwork, labwork, and the training visits to larger institutions for each student are also covered by the grant. Each student will also have the opportunity to mentor a JMU undergraduate for at least one summer in research. Desired qualifications: - Interest in evolution, ecology, species interactions, symbiosis, or coevolution - Undergraduate degree (received or expected) in biology or a related field - Prior research experience, especially in biology (fieldwork or labwork) or another natural science - Knowledge of statistics or programming (especially R or Python) is fantastic but neither expected nor required. - Prior field experience in the southeastern United States is beneficial for the population genomics project, but is neither expected nor required. These are good positions for applicants interested in: - Evolutionary ecology, species interactions, coevolution, mutualism, parasitism, and evolution - Insects and/or native plants - Fieldwork in the southeastern United States - Pursuing a master’s degree in evolution or ecology in advance of applying to a PhD program - Learning about bioinformatic methods and the use of next-generation sequence data in the lab and on the computer - Mentoring of undergraduate students in research James Madison University is a public research university (R2 Carnegie classification) located in the city of Harrisonburg in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Harrisonburg is a diverse college town that has been a beneficiary of the US State Department’s Refugee Resettlement Program and is surrounded by public lands. JMU is 30 minutes from Shenandoah National Park and George Washington National Forest, two hours from Richmond, Virginia, and two and a half hours from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. To apply, please send Dr. David Hembry (hembr...@jmu.edu) the following via e-mail: (1) a short statement (1-2 paragraphs) explaining past research experiences and reasons for interest in the position; (2) an up-to-date academic CV or resume; and (3) names and e-mail addresses of two references who are prior mentors in biology or other natural sciences. For full consideration, please send these materials by January 1, 2025. Informal inquiries before applying are welcomed, and very strongly encouraged. I am very happy to chat on Zoom with prospective applicants. Please write to Dr. David Hembry at hembr...@jmu.edu to express interest and to ask questions. ************* David Hembry (he/him) Assistant Professor, Department of Biology James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA 22807 USA https://hembrylab.com To unsubscribe from this list please go to https://community.esa.org/confirm/?u=RhPWqPxFwODKvbkiT32nkIqRrsiSgulp
