Graduate student positions in plant-herbivore interactions and
quantitative/theoretical ecology
The labs of Nora Underwood and Brian Inouye in the Ecology and
Evolution Group at Florida State University are looking for new
graduate students (PhD or exceptional MS) to join our labs. Our labs
form an interactive group studying species interactions (particularly
but not exclusively plant/insect interactions) from both empirical
and quantitative/theoretical perspectives. Our labs also interact
closely with the Miller and Winn labs at FSU as well as the rest of
the FSU EE group. Students may be co-advised across labs.
We are seeking bright, independent, question-driven students with
interests in plant/insect interactions, population dynamics and
species interactions, theoretical ecology, and community ecology.
Funding for all students in our program is guaranteed for five years
through a combination of TAships and RAships. See below for specifics
on each of our individual labs.
Brian Inouye's lab ( http://bio.fsu.edu/~binouye/ ) focuses on
understanding the roles of spatial and temporal variation in
population and community ecology and linking theoretical and
empirical approaches. Empirical work in the lab focuses on insects
and plants. Current students work on questions ranging from
estimating interaction webs to landscape ecology to plasticity in
plant resource allocation.
Nora Underwood's lab ( http://bio.fsu.edu/~nunderwood/homepage/ )
works on empirical and modeling studies of the ecology and evolution
of plant/insect interactions, with a focus on questions relating to
dynamic properties of these systems such as population growth and
spread, the form of natural selection, and interspecific interactions
(competition, pollination, predation).
The Florida State Ecology and Evolution group (
http://www.bio.fsu.edu/ee/ ) is a highly interactive and supportive
community of about 20 faculty and 50 graduate students, with a
particular strength in combining ecological and evolutionary
perspectives and using strong quantitative approaches. FSU is located
in the Florida panhandle, with easy access to diverse natural
habitats including long-leaf pine forests and savannahs, springs and
rivers, old-fields, and marine habitats in national forests, wildlife
refuges and TNC properties.
Interested students should contact the professor(s) (Inouye,
Underwood) who most closely match their interests by email, including
a cover letter describing background and research interests and a CV
with names of two or more references
