Prospective Graduate Students
We are currently accepting graduate students for the 2024 – 2025 school year. We are always on the lookout for promising Ph.D. and M.S. students who are interested in working on plant microbe interactions in Pacific Northwest forests, population genetics of temperate and tropical trees, and genomics of tropical trees. However, interested students are encouraged to contact Dr. Jones for further details. Deadline for applications for the following year(2025-2026) is December 1, 2024.
We are interested in recruiting enthusiastic, creative, and independent graduate students who share our research interests in fundamental questions in plant ecology and evolution to join the Jones lab at Oregon State University. OSU has a large and vibrant group of ecologists and evolutionary biologists and strengths in ecology, evolutionary biology, genetics and genomics. Students interested in working in tropical or temperate plant populations and communities are encouraged to inquire about opportunities in the lab. Those students who share our curiosity, enthusiasm, and interests that lie at the intersection of plant population and community ecology, molecular ecology, population genetics, and genomics of plants are particularly encouraged. In line with OSU and BPP’s policy on creating an environment of inclusiveness and learning we are particularly interested in recruiting students from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented groups in science.
If you are interested in graduate work in our lab, please take the time to read about the research that we do from a recent publication or two and also check our currently funded projects. Do we share common interests? We find a lot of things interesting! Each year, our lab receives many inquiries from qualified applicants interested in plant ecology and evolutionary biology. Those applicants who are successful have significant field and/or lab research experience (sometimes including publications from their work), have a identified an area of mutual interest, and clearly articulated how those interests match what we do. Competitive fellowships are available at OSU including the Provost’s fellowship which requires a nomination from the department. For those without their own funding to support their graduate work, BPP can provide some support for incoming graduate students through teaching assistantships, but I also I expect that all incoming students will seek to fund at least part of their graduate research with external grants, such as NSF graduate research fellowships (NSF GRFP) and other sources. NSF has recently changed eligibility for GRF recipients. See the change here.
Interested students are encouraged to contact Andy to discuss shared interests and opportunities at OSU. Instructions on applying to BPP at OSU can be found here. Andy can also serve as major professor to students in the Molecular and Cellular Biology program at OSU and the Environmental Science Program. In your letter of interest, please include an academic CV, a short description of your research experience (and publications if you have them), future scientific and career goals, and most importantly, details on your specific area of research interest and how your interests and experience fit into the broader goals of current research done in the lab. Informal inquiries are also welcome.
For some pointers on applying to graduate school, read Walter Carson’s Primer on How to Apply and Get Into Graduate School in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
Meg Duffy has some good advice here as well.
Postdoctoral Positions
Postdoctoral scientists interested in collaborating to pursue external funds to work on common research interests are encouraged to contact Andy to discuss ideas and funding opportunities. Opportunities include NSF, Marie Curie fellowships, and other international funding sources.
Undergraduate Students
In the past, we have had several undergrads working in the lab and in the field in Panama. There are opportunities available for Oregon State undergrads interested in gaining experience in the lab and the field in the areas of plant ecology and evolutionary biology. Undergraduate students conduct field research in tropical forests of Panama through internships at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (for OSU and nonOSU students) and in the lab in Corvallis. Interested students should contact Dr. Jones directly but should also investigate funding opportunities that exist at OSU through the URISC program and through the USRA-Engage program. We are also interested in recruiting students from the Honors college through the deLoach scholarship.
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
As a research associate at STRI, Andy is able to serve as a co advisor for STRI fellows (short term fellows, predocs, and postdocs). Please contact Andy for more information if you have an idea for a cool project that is in line with the kind of research done in the lab. For more information on fellowships at STRI, see this page.
Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site for Integrative Tropical Biology
As of 2014, the Jones lab actively participates in and mentors undergraduate researchers through an NSF sponsored REU site that supports undergraduate researchers in conducting mentored collaborative and independent research in Panama at STRI. In addition to research training, students will participate in academic and professional development workshops that will include statistics and data management, publishing and communicating results, and preparing for graduate school and careers in biological sciences. The STRI REU experience is a unique opportunity for undergraduate researchers to gain hands-on international scientific experience and mentoring at one of the top tropical ecology and evolutionary biology research organizations in the world. Details on this opportunity can be found at the STRI REU site website here. Applications are open for U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Opportunities also exist for Latin American students in this program through STRI. Eligible applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Dr. Jones before applying for this position.
