Buckley Lab Opportunities

Opportunities to join the lab

Postdocs

A postdoctoral position in mechanistic species distribution modeling is available in the research group of Lauren Buckley at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Buckley lab combines theory, field and lab ecology and physiology, and informatics to examine how biology (morphology, physiology, and life history) determines an organism's response to environmental change. The postdoc will develop an independent project related to advancing mechanistic range models to incorporate evolutionary adaptation or species interactions. While North American lizards will be the default study system, applicants with interest and experience working on any system amenable to developing mechanistic range models are encouraged to apply. Skills in several of the following areas are highly desirable: programming, population or quantitative genetic theory, GIS and spatial analysis, and field and lab physiology. The position is available for 1 year with the possibility for renewal depending on performance and with an anticipated start date between January and September 2009. Salary range $36-40K depending upon experience. I will begin evaluating applications on December 1st, and the position will remain open until filled. Applicants are requested to email the following materials to buckley@nceas.ucsb.edu:

a statement explaining your experience as well as research and career interests
a curriculum vitae
names and contact information for 3 references

I encourage potential postdocs interested in pursuing alternative funding together to contact me.

Graduate Students

I am currently seeking motivated and inquisitive graduate students to join the lab group. Most research in the Buckley lab will concern biogeography in changing environments, a broad and complex topic leaving lots of room for creative and interdisciplinary approaches and independent projects. Students will be encouraged to develop their own projects in collaboration with me. One focus of the lab is coupling theoretical and quantitative tools with data collection. I feel that combining multiple approaches is central to tackling questions of environmental change and a primary benefit of choosing to conduct graduate research in the Buckley lab. As such, I anticipate student projects will generally span two of the following three approaches: theory, ecoinformatic analysis, and field or lab work. My goal as a mentor is to ensure students learn how to identify interesting questions, develop feasible approaches, and process and synthesize information to address the question. While most of my research has focused on reptiles and amphibians, students seeking to ask similar questions in other systems will be encouraged to do so, particularly in collaboration with other research labs.

You may apply to my lab through the Department of Biology ( Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology or Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program) and the Curriculum in Ecology. Students interested in joining the lab are expected to apply for any fellowships for which they are eligible (e.g., National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Environmental Protection Agency STAR Fellowship, Ford Foundation Predoctoral Diversity Fellowship). All prospective students should contact me by email. I will be requesting the following materials:

a curriculum vitae
a description of research experience
a description of possible graduate research topics and approaches highlighting why the Buckley lab would be a good fit for this research
a description of career goals

Undergraduates

There are numerous research and employment opportunities for motivated undergraduate students to both conduct independent projects and to assist in ongoing research conducted by members of the Buckley lab. Opportunities include assisting in lizard field research and lab physiology, assembling and analyzing databases, and advancing models. Interested undergraduates should contact me by email and include in their message: