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GRADUATE WORK:

THE ZAMUDIO LAB WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING ANY GRADUATE STUDENTS FOR FALL 2026. I apologize for the inconvenience… but our lab is full, and I have reached the number of students that I can mentor well. If you are still looking for an academic home next year, we may be recruiting in 2027.

Our interests are pretty varied, and graduate student projects in the lab can potentially span a whole range of topics. For the most part, I expect students will work on some question about the evolution, mating system, or conservation of reptiles and amphibians. This could include anything from molecular systematics to a population-based demographic study.

It is unlikely that grad students in my lab will work entirely on my research projects for their doctoral thesis. Although I collaborate often with students on projects of mutual interest, I believe that finding your own niche and carving out your own research program is a critical part of your grad school experience (almost as critical as the thesis itself!). My job is to help you achieve that by providing the context for your learning. Your job is to bring with you the motivation and the independence to get it done.

Related to this is the issue of funding for graduate work. Students in the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior (EEB) Graduate Program are supported by a combination of research and teaching assistantships, which cover tuition and salary (including summer salary). This is great funding, but teaching can limit research time, thus I encourage every student to seek and apply for fellowships for salary support (e.g. NSF pre-doctoral fellowships, EPA Fellowships, or the Ford Pre-doctoral Fellowships), as well as funds for research support.

TO APPLY:

First: Check out the UT EEB grad program website to learn more about the program and graduate life here (EEB site).

Second: drop me a note (contact below) – tell me what you are interested in, what you’ve done in the past, and how your interests match those in the lab. Please include a CV and a description of your previous research experiences.

Third: check out the forms and deadlines for UT’s Graduate School applications (EEB Grad Program). The deadline for the Ecology. Evolution, and Behavior Program is in early December – so don’t miss it! If you need assistance with anything to do with your application, please contact Tamra Rogers at EEBGradProgram@austin.utexas.edu. Tamra is the EEB graduate program coordinator and knows the answers to all questions about the application process.

Post-Doctoral work:

I often work with prospective students to host them for independent post-doctoral fellowships including the NSF Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biology, Smith Fellowships, and Fellowships internal to UT Austin.

UT has a great post-doctoral program called the Stengl-Wyer Scholars program. The application date for this program in the Fall semester each year. You can find more information about this program here.

If you are interested in applying for any of these independent post-doc opportunities, please contact me to discuss project ideas.

Undergraduate Research:

We often have openings for undergraduate researchers in the lab. Undergrads work on a variety of projects, and often in collaboration with post-docs or grad students. Research is hard work, and requires a level of dedication that goes beyond what undergrads typically invest in classwork, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. If you think this might be for you, contact Kelly Zamudio (contact info below).

Contact: