In most cases, our graduate students do not do rotations. They apply to our program to conduct research within a specific lab or research group. A student’s acceptance depends very heavily upon the recommendation of a potential faculty advisor, whose research interests overlap with your own.
Wondering about the options available to you? Keep reading to learn more.
The best part about ecological and evolutionary research is the range of questions you can explore!
Are you curious about a particular animal behavior? Or the function of an ecosystem? Do you wonder why certain species co-exist together in space? Or how they interact and evolve over time? There are no limits on the types and scale of questions you can ask here in EBIO!
If you already have a research question, that is fantastic! But you do not have to know exactly what you want to study before you can apply to our program.
Lots of students have an interest in a general research topic, like “animal diseases” or “plant defenses” or “habitat fragmentation”, and then find their specific research question with the help of their advisor.
But the first step is identifying some general research topics that get YOU excited - that you actually WANT to spend the next 2-5 years untangling in scientific detail.
Check out our Research Areas in EBIO webpage to help you get started, and click on each topic to see faculty specialties. Then choose one or two potential advisors who could be a great fit to oversee your journey as a scientist. There’s more info on finding an advisor in the next step.
Applying to graduate school is different than applying to your undergraduate institution. Instead of choosing a school, you choose a subject that captivates you and gets you excited for research. Learn more with this video.
