The Drake lab welcomes new members at all levels.

Graduate Students

At any given time, four to five students may call the Drake lab their intellectual home. I have trained students who come from a variety of undergraduate majors and personal backgrounds, but the only degree programs in which I advise are the MS and PhD in Ecology, offered by the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia. It is possible to matriculate in these programs even without a background in biology, but students without an undergraduate degree in life sciences typically find the advanced coursework of the graduate program to be much more challenging. I’m happy to advise students interested in either traditional population dynamics (biological invasions, extinction, Allee effects, species geographic distributions) or the ecology of infectious diseases, although most of my students in recent years have been interested in infectious diseases and I have typically had more funding for work in infectious diseases. Although I have occasionally advised students with interests somewhat different to my own, students are strongly encouraged to review my recent publications to get the flavor of ongoing work. For an idea of expectations and lab culture, prospective students are encouraged to read my Letter To A Junior Scientist and check out the Drake lab wiki, a repository of “how to” resources for researchers in the group.

Here are the practicalities. To work with me, students must be admitted to one of the graduate programs in ecology. Applications are typically due at the end of November in the year before intended matriculation. It is strongly encouraged that prospective students reach out to me via email (jdrake@uga.edu) well in advance of this deadline to discuss topical areas for research, potential funding opportunities, and details of the admission process. An introductory email should explain why you want to receive your degree in this lab/program out of the many opportunities that prospective graduate students have. I will typically invite one new student per year to join my lab.

Postdocs

The Drake lab usually has a healthy contingent of postdocs. In my view, a postdoc is a seasoned researcher who has joined a group for a relatively short time (typically 1-2 years) to develop new skills, extend their professional network, and build their CV. I expect postdocs to work pretty independently in project design, coding and data analysis, and technical writing, although I recognize that there may be some gaps and that may be why you want to join the lab. Postdocs typically come into the lab in one of two ways. Occasionally, postdocs are independently funded. More often, postdocs are hired to work on specific funded projects. In either case, prospective postdocs are encouraged to email to express interest. Funded positions are advertised through various channels, but it’s fine to email to ask if there are any vacant positions. Please include a CV and description of your research interests as well as a statement about why you are specifically interested in working with us.

Visitors

Over the years, the Drake lab has sponsored a number of short-term visitors from undergraduate students to seasoned faculty. Prospective visitors are encouraged to reach out to express interest.