Joining the Group

Undergraduate Students

While we currently do not have any funding for additional undergraduate workers in our research group, I do encourage interested students to reach out regardless. There may be alternative funding opportunities (see below) and we may have openings in the future.

If you are an undergraduate that is interested in joining the lab and/or working on your own research project, please reach out to me to discuss. There are a number of opportunities at LSU to apply for and receive funding to conduct research in our group during the fall, spring, and summer semesters.

• LSU President's Future Leaders in Research Program. Undergraduates that have been notified of their eligibility (determined by a scholarship committee prior to admittance in freshman year) can access this funding to join our lab and work under this program. If you qualify and our interested in working in our group, please reach out.

• Federal Work Study. Undergraduates with federal work study are eligible to join our lab and work under this program. If you qualify and our interested in working in our group, please reach out.

• A. Wilbert's Son's Internship. Deadline is usually late-Sep and early-Oct. Please reach out in the spring or during the summer about applying to this opportunity.

• LSU College of Agriculture Undergraduate Research Grants. Deadline is Feb 1st. Please reach out to me about this oppportunity during the fall semester.

All advertised graduate positions are fully funded positions in our research group housed in the Department of Entomology at LSU. What "fully funded" as a graduate student at LSU means is that during your graduate studies you receive a stipend to work as a research assistant under your advisor, and your tuition (with the exception of student fees) and a portion (75%) of your health insurance is paid for by grants and/or Departmental funding. In the Department of Entomology, Masters student stipends start at $26,500/yr and Doctoral student stipends start at $30,667/yr. More information on funding at LSU can be found here

All positions within the lab depend on availability of funding. Advertised positions are fully funded. If you're interested in joining the lab and we don't have funding, there are a number of opportunities to acquire funding. For example, I encourage all incoming or first-year graduate students to submit applications to the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP). If selected, this fellowship will cover your tuition, stipend, and provide a yearly research allowance. Many of these fellowships are unfortunately only available if you are a domestic student. If you are an international student and lacking funding, there may be government programs within your home country that provide partial or full support for your graduate endeavors. 

Funding opportunities:

• National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Deadline is typically mid-Oct each year. The time to start developing these grants is usually over the summer, so please reach out with enough lead time to identify and discuss projects. Senior undergraduates and first year masters students are eligible. This opportunity is only available to U.S. Citizens.

• United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture Predoctoral Fellowship Program. Deadline is typically mid- to late-Oct each year. This opportunity is only available to doctoral students that have advanced to candidacy and that are U.S. Citizens.

• United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. Deadline is typically early-Sep each year. The time to start developing these grants is usually in the late-spring and early summer, so please reach out with enough lead time to identify and discuss projects. I expect postdoctoral associates interested in this opportunity to lead the writing and intellectual development of this grant opportunity.  This opportunity is only available to U.S. Citizens.

• National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology. Deadline is typically early-Nov each year. The time to start developing these grants is usually over the summer, so please reach out with enough lead time to identify and discuss projects. I expect postdoctoral associates interested in this opportunity to lead the writing and intellectual development of this grant opportunity. This opportunity is only available to U.S. Citizens.

If you are interested in joining our research group as a graduate student, I'd love to hear from you. In your inquiry email, please attach a resume or CV and a 1-2 page letter that includes:

1) Information about your background and how it will contribute to your success in graduate school

2) Your reason for pursing graduate school

3) Why you wish to join our research group (are you interested in forest ecosystems, particular scientific questions, or a specific research organism that we study?)

4) Your future career goals and how joining our research group will contribute to you achieving them

I will review your inquiry letter, and if it appears that you would be a good fit in our group, I will reach out to schedule a one-on-one virtual meeting. If this meeting goes well, I will invite you to apply. Please do not apply to LSU with the intent of joining our research group without first talking to me. I do not accept students into our research group without meeting with them.

At LSU, we have rolling admissions deadlines that allows students to start in the fall, spring, or summer semesters. Plan on reaching out 6-12 months prior to the semester you'd like to start graduate school. Please be aware that Graduate College deadlines differ depending on whether you are a domestic or international applicant. Roughly, the application process involves three approvals prior to your admission. First, your application will go to the Graduate College where they will assess your basic qualifications for admission to the graduate college. Secondly, your application and written essays will then be reviewed by a committee within the Department of Entomology. Lastly, your application will come to me for final approval. Please be aware that the LSU graduate college will email you if they deem you acceptable, but this doe not guarantee admittance into the Department or our research group. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions with this process. More information about the application process and the Entomology Department can be found here.