The Kooyers Lab circa May 2019. Right to Left: Luke Rabalais, Laura McDonald, Josh Fitzpatrick, Nic Kooyers, Haley St. Martin, Roark Gaspard, Andrea Turcu (lost in the field: Anna Scharnagl)
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Anna Scharnagl
Research Technician Research Interests: Interactions!, entomology, monkeyflowers, old school naturalist Andrea Turcu
Masters Student Research Interest: Epigenetics, plasticity, fluctuating selection, local adaptation, monkeyflowers Roark Gaspard Undergraduate Researcher Research Interests: Clover, Cyanogenesis, Louisiana, Herbaria, Science Communication Laura McDonald
Undergraduate Researcher Research Interests: Monkeyflowers, phenology, ecosystem ecology |
We are currently recruiting new members! Check out the positions below. Job advertisements will be out in later this summer (2019). Underrepresented groups in STEM are particularly encouraged to apply. Contact Nic with inquiries (Nicholas.Kooyers@louisiana.edu)
Lab Technician/Manager - Starting Fall 2019 - If I am the coach of this team, I view this position as the quarterback. In this position you will have a hand in all the projects in the lab. You will be trained in molecular bench skills and next-generation sequencing techniques. Plant care and managing greenhouse common garden studies will also be a portion of your job. There will be opportunity for field work in Oregon and California. Most importantly, you will be the day to day manager of the lab, supervising and working with undergraduate researchers and facilitating logistics for graduate students. Your qualifications should include previous research experience (preferably in evolutionary biology or plant sciences), some molecular bench skills (DNA extractions, PCR, NGS library construction), and excellent collaboration and leadership qualities.
PhD students - Starting Spring or Fall 2020 - I am hoping to recruit 1-2 graduate students to start either in the spring or fall of 2020. I believe in providing graduate students (PhD in particular) with a large degree of flexibility in choosing a dissertation project as long as it fits under the umbrella of the lab's interests. However, there are two projects in the lab that are well-funded and ready for action. First, in a large collaboration with Marc Johnson (UT) and Ken Olsen (Wash. U.), we are using white clover as a model species to understand how adaptation proceeds following introduction. This project involves large scale reciprocal transplant experiments on multiple continents and population genomics on herbarium specimens. Second, we are using annual M. guttatus as a model to study how populations adapt to recent climatic changes. There are a number of directions here including investigating adaptation lag, understanding both genetic and environmental constraints to future trait evolution, and determining responses to extreme climatic events such as historic droughts. UL-Lafayette is an excellent place to be an evolutionary biology graduate student. We have relatively low TA loads, guaranteed funding for PhD students, and many fellowships available. We also have a strong program in evolutionary biology with 9 new faculty members joining the biology program in the last 5 years. Lafayette is a really cool college town that is the center of Cajun culture. The food, weather, and the people are all warm. This culture also harbors a strong appreciation of our local natural resources.
UL Lafayette graduate school requirements for admissions are listed here, but more important to me are your research interests and experiences.
Thus, if you are interested in any these positions, I encourage you to contact me (nicholas.kooyers@louisiana.edu) with your cv, your research interests, and why you are interested in the lab.
Lab Technician/Manager - Starting Fall 2019 - If I am the coach of this team, I view this position as the quarterback. In this position you will have a hand in all the projects in the lab. You will be trained in molecular bench skills and next-generation sequencing techniques. Plant care and managing greenhouse common garden studies will also be a portion of your job. There will be opportunity for field work in Oregon and California. Most importantly, you will be the day to day manager of the lab, supervising and working with undergraduate researchers and facilitating logistics for graduate students. Your qualifications should include previous research experience (preferably in evolutionary biology or plant sciences), some molecular bench skills (DNA extractions, PCR, NGS library construction), and excellent collaboration and leadership qualities.
PhD students - Starting Spring or Fall 2020 - I am hoping to recruit 1-2 graduate students to start either in the spring or fall of 2020. I believe in providing graduate students (PhD in particular) with a large degree of flexibility in choosing a dissertation project as long as it fits under the umbrella of the lab's interests. However, there are two projects in the lab that are well-funded and ready for action. First, in a large collaboration with Marc Johnson (UT) and Ken Olsen (Wash. U.), we are using white clover as a model species to understand how adaptation proceeds following introduction. This project involves large scale reciprocal transplant experiments on multiple continents and population genomics on herbarium specimens. Second, we are using annual M. guttatus as a model to study how populations adapt to recent climatic changes. There are a number of directions here including investigating adaptation lag, understanding both genetic and environmental constraints to future trait evolution, and determining responses to extreme climatic events such as historic droughts. UL-Lafayette is an excellent place to be an evolutionary biology graduate student. We have relatively low TA loads, guaranteed funding for PhD students, and many fellowships available. We also have a strong program in evolutionary biology with 9 new faculty members joining the biology program in the last 5 years. Lafayette is a really cool college town that is the center of Cajun culture. The food, weather, and the people are all warm. This culture also harbors a strong appreciation of our local natural resources.
UL Lafayette graduate school requirements for admissions are listed here, but more important to me are your research interests and experiences.
Thus, if you are interested in any these positions, I encourage you to contact me (nicholas.kooyers@louisiana.edu) with your cv, your research interests, and why you are interested in the lab.
