Opportunities in the Lab
Letter to Potential Graduate Students
Thanks for your interest in my lab. Here is some information to help you with the whether, the where, and the how of choosing and applying to graduate school. Emily Bernhardt
First, have you thought this through?
Are you really ready to begin the 5-6 year process of earning a PhD? Here's some advice you may find helpful as you decide on whether graduate school is right for you.
- Questions to ask when deciding to pursue a PhD
http://www.phdsurvey.org/advice/advice.htm
- Advice for Prospective Graduate Students "Some Modest Advice for Graduate Students" (by Stephen C. Stearns) and the "Reply to Stearns: Some Acynical Advice for Graduate Students" (by Raymond B. Huey) provide a good, and at times humorous, perspective on graduate student life. The versions posted here were written by Stearns and Huey, and reprinted in 1987 (Stearns, S. and Huey, R. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 68, 145-153).
Second, is my lab the right place for your dissertation research?
I anticipate accepting one or more graduate students next Fall. I am looking for bright, creative, motivated and collaborative students with a keen interest in biogeochemistry. You can read about our current research projects, but our lab is willing and able to expand into new territory if the questions are compelling. To determine if you are a good fit for the lab, I encourage you to consider the following:
Are you willing to spend much of the next five years of your life either collecting field samples or performing analytical chemistry?
Do you desire nearly limitless opportunities to discuss the cycling of N, P, C, [insert element of choice here] with similarly minded folks?
Do you have a burning desire to understand how human activities are changing the sources and fates of biogeochemical elements?
Can you read at least 3 publications from our lab publications page at one sitting and find yourself more awake than when you started?
If you answer yes to at least 3 of the questions above, you may very well be a good fit within our lab. In order for me to make this assessment, I would ask that you send me the following information: 1) a detailed statement of why you want to attend graduate school and why my lab is a good fit for you; 2) a description of your previous research experience; and 3) the names and institutions of the people who will provide your letters of recommendation.
If you decide to apply to Duke, I can accept PhD students through two different graduate programs: the Department of Biology and the University Program in Ecology. All applicants must complete the General Test of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and must submit transcripts and letters of reference postmarked by December 31. Both programs typically invite highly ranked candidates (=plenty of research experience, good scores, and a good fit with potential advisor) to interview in person in early Spring.