I welcome applications from bright and energetic students and postdocs with diverse backgrounds, from field biology to applied mathematics. I have broad interests in ecosystem and community ecology, with a focus on forests. I have worked in boreal, temperate, and tropical ecosystems, and am enthusiastic about advising research in any of these biomes or at the global scale. I am a dedicated advisor and am committed to the professional development of my advisees. I advise graduate students through the UF Department of Biology and the UF School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE). Prospective students are welcome to apply to either or both of these programs.
Current openings
We are currently recruiting a postdoctoral researcher and a PhD student as part of USDA-funded project to study changes in the dynamics of U.S. forests (both positions are open as of Sep. 3, 2024). The postdoc start date is flexible. The PhD start date is for Fall 2025.
The best way to determine if I am a good potential advisor for you is to read about my research interests and to read some of my publications. It is not critical that your interests match mine exactly, but there should be broad overlap. Prospective graduate students are encouraged to contact me at jlichstein@ufl.edu well before the official application deadlines (typically Dec. 1 for the Dept. of Biology and Feb. 1 for SNRE). It is helpful if you send me your CV and a brief written statement (< 1 page) that outlines your interests and describes one or more specific projects that you might pursue as a graduate student. If you already have a draft of a longer statement (1-2 pages), you are welcome to send it to me. You will need to write such a statement to apply to almost any graduate program. The more specific details you include (What questions do you want to answer? What kind of data would you need to answer these questions? How would you get the data, and what would you do with them?), the better I (or any other potential advisor) can assess if my lab would be a good fit for you. It is likely that your ideas will change once you start graduate school. In my view, the main purpose of writing these statements is not to commit to a specific project, but rather to communicate how you think as a scientist and to evaluate if there is a good fit between you and potential advisors/programs. Admission to either the UF Biology or SNRE graduate program includes guaranteed financial support in the form of teaching assistantships and/or fellowships awarded by these programs. By applying to these programs, you will automatically be considered for program fellowships. Research assistantships are also sometimes available for specific positions associated with a research grant.
