Opportunities
I am currently welcoming inquiries from prospective postdoctoral associates, and graduate students interested in joining the lab, as well as seasonal field assistants. I am particularly interested in individuals who have research interests that are compatible with the conceptual focus of the Holland lab. While I encourage lab members to work with me on the population and community ecology of mutualism in the Sonoran Desert, by no means is this a prerequisite to join the Holland lab. Texas and the greater Houston area provide many natural areas from which to develop research projects. Moreover, despite popular thought (often by persons never having visited), Houston is an exciting, fun place to live, with much culture and a great living environment. Houston, it's cooler than you think!
Postdoctoral Associates
Occasionally postdoctoral funds may be available for particular projects in the lab, but most often postdocs will attain independent fellowships and grants. If you are currently completing or have recently completed your Ph.D., and have strong interests in the research program of the Holland lab, then I encourage you to contact me so that we may discuss and pursue potential funding sources. When making inquiries, please include your curriculum vitae and indicate how your research interests intersect with those of the Holland lab.
Prospective Graduate Students
Over the next few years I am interested in accepting a few graduate students into my lab who are motivated, hardworking, collaborative, and committed to and enthusiastic about their graduate studies. Graduate students in the Holland lab are welcome to develop independent projects or research projects closely associated with on-going work in the lab. I am particularly interested in graduate students who wish to study research topics aligned with those of the Holland lab, ranging for example from the evolutionary, population, and community ecology of mutualism to pollination biology and plant ecology of the Sonoran Desert. The best way to assure that your interests are a good fit with the Holland lab is to become familiar with this website and posted reprints of our publications.
I do not expect graduate students to arrive at Rice with a definitive dissertation project, but I do expect students to have a general idea of the research topics and questions that interest them. I encourage research projects that have a strong conceptual foundation and test theory with experiments, though not at the expense of natural history. I advise and work as closely as needed with students to develop projects that fit their research interests and professional goals. I encourage students to think independently, but to collaborate with me and others in the lab and department; to be creative and focused on their research, but to maintain breadth and a big-picture of their research; and to disseminate research in a timely manner by attending conferences and publishing in scholarly journals. I support students in the Holland lab generously with my time and research funds. Nevertheless, I expect all students to actively apply for external fellowships and grants to support their graduate education and training.
If you think your research interests are compatible with the Holland lab and the graduate program at Rice, please feel free to contact me to discuss your application and to answer any questions. Students applying for graduate studies in the Holland lab should identify me as a potential advisor in their application, including why your research interests are aligned with those in the Holland lab and what your career ambitions are. The graduate program of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Rice University typically does not accept students without financial support, so competition can be keen for these limited resources. Admission to our program requires being accepted by a graduate admissions committee and usually the sponsorship of a faculty member. For more information about our graduate program, including online application materials, see our graduate study webpage. Prospective students should also review websites of other faculty and labs, as our department has growing strengths, synergism, and complementarity among multiple research topics, including among others interspecific mutualism, intraspecific cooperation (social evolution), plant-insect interactions, invasive species, genomics, molecular evolution, and organismal strengths in plants, insects, and microbes.
Below are some links that provide some guidance on being a successful graduate student.
"Some Modest Advice for Graduate Students" (by Stephen C. Stearns), the "Reply to Stearns: Some Acynical Advice for Graduate Students" (by Raymond B. Huey), and subsequent responses by Binkley and then Witz. The first two essays by Stearns and Huey are based on their 1976 presentations at an informal lunch seminar in the Department of Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, which were later published in the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. The latter two essays are responses to the publications in the Bulletin. pdf
Dr. John Thompson's advice
Dr. Christine Boake's advice
Question's to ask when thinking about pursuing a Ph.D.
Undergraduate Students
Research Opportunities for Rice Undergraduate Students Numerous opportunities exist for Rice undergraduates to gain valuable research experience in the Holland laboratory by contributing to on-going research and/or developing their own research projects. These opportunities include, but are not necessarily limited to: (1) seasonal field assistant positions, (2) BIOS 310 Independent Study/Research, and (3) BIOS 403/404 Undergraduate Honors Research. Students may also volunteer in the lab or field, or possibly be hired at hourly rates for lab work. Prospective students should contact Dr. Holland and discuss which of these venues best suites their interests and needs.
- Seasonal Field Assistants:
Rice undergraduate students are encouraged to apply for the field assistant positions available each year. These positions are a great way to gain research experience and to have fun doing science in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and Mexico during summer months. - BIOS 310 Independent Study/Research:
Prospective students may gain research experience through the Holland lab by registering for 1-4 credit hours of BIOS 310 in Fall and/or Spring semesters. Students are expected to participate for three hours of research for each credit hour. - BIOS 403/404 Undergraduate Honors Research:
The Bachelor of Science Degree offered by the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Rice University requires students to take BIOS 403 and BIOS 404 (Honors Research) in the Fall and Spring semesters of their senior year. The research performed in BIOS 403/404 will culminate in a senior thesis. Prospective students for Honors Research in the Holland lab may (1) develop a field project local to natural areas of Houston, (2) develop a lab-based project in the Holland lab, or (3) develop a field project with Dr. Holland at his Sonoran Desert field sites. Most students conducting their Honors Research in the Holland lab have field projects associated with his on-going research in the Sonoran Desert. Because field seasons in the Sonoran Desert occur from April through July, students choosing to conduct their Honors Research in the Sonoran Desert should contact me at the latest by March of their junior year. However, students typically begin planning their Honors Research for the Sonoran Desert with Dr. Holland at the onset of the spring semester of their junior year. Students then implement their Honors Research during the field season from April through July between their junior and senior years, thereby collecting their data the summer before their senior year.
Seasonal Field Assistants
Our research group has annual field seasons from April through July in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and Mexico. Research positions are available to assist with our field studies during this time period. Highly motivated individuals are sought who can work independently and as a team. Opportunities exist for assistants to develop independent projects. Field sites are primarily at Bahia de Kino in Sonora, Mexico and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southwestern Arizona. Field assistants are expected to contribute to data management and data collection, including the implementation and monitoring of experimental, observational, and laboratory studies. Research topics are diverse and vary among field seasons, including pollination ecology, plant reproductive biology, mutualistic interactions between senita cacti and senita moths and plants and ants, moth behavior during flower visitation, and demography and population dynamics of moths and cacti. A more comprehensive list of topics motivating our research can be found throughout this website. Field assistants are compensated with lodging, food, and a monthly stipend.
QUALIFICATIONS: Applications should have background in, be pursuing, or have a degree in biology, botany, ecology, entomology, environmental studies, or other related field. Successful applicants should be able to work independently and as a part of a team, during often long irregular (nocturnal) hours under harsh, hot environmental conditions. Attention to detail, ability to manage multiple tasks, and computer skills (MS Excel) are desirable; bi-lingual English-Spanish skills are desirable, but not required. Successful applicants must be able to show respectful, tolerant behavior of others while living together in a beach house on the Gulf of California.
APPLICATION: Applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and the names, addresses, and e-mails of three persons who can provide letters of recommendation. Electronic applications are encouraged and should be sent by e-mail, as a single pdf attachment, to Dr. Nat Holland: jholland@rice.edu . Postal mail applications may be submitted to the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University MS-170, 6100 Main St., Houston, Texas 77005, U.S.A. Review of applications will begin March 6, 2009 and continue until the positions are filled.
