For Prospective Students and Postdocs
I am always looking for qualified, highly motivated students and postdocs. Opportunities for students are available at the undergraduate, MS, and PhD levels. For undergraduates interested in pursuing a research project or honors thesis with me, I prefer that we begin working together one calendar year in advance of the anticipated completion/graduation date. For information about current or upcoming opportunities for graduate students or postdocs in my lab, please email me and include a CV.
Graduate Program Links:
What it's like to work in our group, and a note on advising style
I enjoy working closely with students and postdocs on research projects. If you join my group, I make a commitment to meet with you once a week, at a minimum.
For undergraduate students: I view it as my responsibility to design a project that you can successfully complete on an agreed-upon timescale, such as over the course of a summer or over two academic terms (for an undergraduate thesis). We will meet at least once weekly to talk about your scientific questions, to look over figures, code, and writing, and to help you work through technical challenges.
For graduate students: I will work with you to find a project of mutual interest, provided of course that it aligns with my expertise and abilities. In some cases, there will also be constraints due to funding sources. For instance, if your RA support comes from a funded NSF grant, there is some flexibility in the specific approaches taken but the primary topic is set by the proposed scope of work. I will be transparent with you and discuss this with you before you make a decision to join the group and whenever your funding source changes. I expect all students in my group to be self-motivated and to be present on campus, focus, and engaged. I recognize that not everyone works best at 8 AM (or at 6 PM) and that your individual schedule and habits will be flexible, but in order for us to make progress on research and work together as a group, we need to be available for at least ~half of the work day (8-5 PM).
For postdocs: Postdoc funding is generally tied to a specific project or grant. Hence, we will have generally discussed your interests and a specific project prior to joining the lab.
Living in Davis
Davis is a great place to live and work. Here are some things that I appreciate about Davis:
Great city parks and amenities like multi-use paths
Bike or walk to work
Excellent public schools
Great food and abundant local produce
Examples of just about every active geologic process within an easy driving distance
A medium sized city (Sacramento) 20-30 minutes away
A big city (Bay Area) 1 hour away
Unlimited recreational opportunities along the coast, in the coast range, and in the Sierra!