General Information

If you are interested in gaining research experience, you should think about why you want to do this (e.g., what do you want to gain from the experience), whether you have the time to commit to doing research, etc. 

My Lab

Most students in my lab have worked directly with me, though my graduate students have also mentored undergraduates in research. So if one of the graduate students have a project that interests you, you may also want to contact them directly. Much of my research is done in collaboration, including projects with undergraduates. In particular, I have many collaborations with Edward Braun (https://people.clas.ufl.edu/ebraun/) at UF – and we have co-advised a number of students.

Currently, my research involves a lot of working with large datasets, doing analyses, etc. We still do some wet lab work (e.g., DNA extracts, PCR, etc.), but in the genomic era, many of the ongoing projects do not involve directly doing lab work. Instead, most of it involves working with sequence data itself. Many projects also may incorporate information on traits of animals, obtained from the literature, museums, etc. If you are interested in my lab, think about whether this type of research is of interest to you.

I have had a number of undergraduates work in my lab over the years (see People), and I regularly take one or two new students into the lab. I do not have a “set” number of undergraduates that can work in the lab, and whether I take on new students depends on what is going on in the lab, the interests of the students, and whether I have time to help train and get them started. So it is always worth contacting me if you are interested in the projects going on in my lab (I highly advocate you scan my Research and People pages to make sure you are interested in what is going on in my lab).

COMMITMENT

Working in the lab requires a commitment of time, and a willingness to focus while you are doing research. I expect students to commit a minimum of 6 hours per week (I prefer 8-10), and to spread that out over at least three days (in 1-3 hour segments).  Many lab procedures we do take only 1-2 hours at a time, but have multiple steps that need to be done on different days.  So being able to come in multiple times in a week allows better follow through and makes it easier to learn the steps of a protocol.  Before you ask to work in my lab, make sure you can commit this amount of time in your schedule. If you cannot, consider doing research another semester when you are less committed.

When students come to the lab, I expect them to be attentive and willing to focus on what they are doing.  Research is not “relaxation” time between classes, and a student that repeatedly comes to the lab focussed on other issues may be asked to leave the lab. Successful research requires thinking about what you need to do, making sure you are organized, and paying attention to details! 

Working in the lab can require a lot of training.  Depending on the amount of time students can commit each week, it often takes at least a semester for students to become proficient at the basic protocols.  For this reason, I will not consider students that only want to commit a single semester to research (e.g., a senior that will be graduating shortly).  While some students only remain in the lab for a semester, such as when the lab is not a good fit for the student, I feel that students that have gained the most have been in the lab for at least a year.

PROJECTS AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS

I have had students working on all or almost all projects I have going in the lab.  The projects differ in focus, type of skills and amount of commitment that is required.  Students that are focused, careful, think about what they are doing, pay attention to the information provided to them, and are attentive to details can succeed at all of the things we do if they put sufficient time into it.  So I try to match students to appropriate projects (e.g., ones that are consistent with their ability to commit and their interests).

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH / HONORS THESES

Students in the lab work, to varying degrees, independently (that is, without my constant supervision).  After gaining general experience, students may take on some type of “independent” research. In encourage students to consider doing research for “credit”. There is actually a zero-credit option, that allows a supervised research course to show up on your transcript, but without adding to the credits you are taking.

Some students take on one part of a larger project and are content to continue contributing to a larger whole.  This type of research requires less commitment and investment, and is a great way to be involved with research for students that for varying reasons do not want or have the time to make a greater commitmen.

Other students, sometimes after gaining exposure to the research, want to work on a project where they are the primary researcher.   This requires a lot of commitment, and is not suitable for all students.  Students that want to do this can talk to me about possible projects, to find a project that fits within the scope of the lab, is feasible for the time commitment, and matches their interests.  At minimum, I expect a student who commits to this to complete the majority of data collection, and these students (if successful) will then be an author on the publication.  Some students go further, and also participate in analyses and/or writing of the paper as well.  Depending, on level of involvement at these stages, students may be first author of the publication (e.g., Cox et al. 2007).  Be warned – taking a study from initial idea, through data collection, analyses, and write-up can often take several years.

Other students work closely with one other person, and while they are not the primary researcher, they may be one of just two (e.g., working closely with a post-doc or graduate student).  In these cases, they may not be the primary person expected for all steps (and so may not be required to make such a large commitment), but may take on more responsibility than if they were contributing one small part of a much larger project.

Overall, we have had students that have taken various different approaches to getting research experience, and I am open to a variety of situations.  This has worked most successfully when students have been realistic about their expectations, clear about their goals for doing undergraduate research, and aware of the actual time they can commit to doing research.