Earn a PhD in the Kartzinel Lab at BrownWhat you need to know is that PhDs from the Kartzinel Lab lead outstanding basic research that can have transdisciplinary extensions with significant conservation impacts in the real world. All PhD students will be enrolled in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology (EEOB), and those who pursue research with a significant conservation component will benefit from unique opportunities within the Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES). If this sounds like an exciting opportunity for you, I'll share everything you need to know about developing a successful application below...! Upcoming opportunities at the PhD levelBrown University is an outstanding institution for teaching and learning in many respects. My lab has consistently supported a number of exceptional PhD-level graduate students, but the opportunities to do so are rare and often differ from convention due to Brown's reluctance to invest consistently in supporting a vibrant ecology PhD program. Therefore, I feel a responsibility to be candid with all prospective students about how to maximize their chances of becoming a successful applicant -- and then to subsequently thrive in my lab:
The profile of a successful applicantNow that you know what it is likely to take to thrive at this level, you will see how it corresponds with my profile for successful applicants. You should expect to need significant post-college research experience to succeed. This can include, but is not limited to, a thesis-based Master's degree, a higher degree in a related field (e.g., MSc, DVM, MD), and/or professional research experience (e.g., government, non-profit). There is no minimum requirement, but expect to need an established record of professional experience and productivity. Strong indicators of success include first-authored publications in the peer-reviewed literature, or similar accomplishments such as a track-record of successful grants, reports, white papers, or popular press releases that establish an ample track-record of professional writing productivity. I like to work with PhD students who are coachable and collaborative. Naturally, I strive recruit applicants who share a lot of my fundamental interests in ecology, conservation, and molecular ecology. However, the top applicants tend to bring experience that complements my knowledge and strengths in these fields. They can also clearly articulate one or a few significant areas of interest that they would like to develop to the point of mastery as an apprentice to me. Working to maximize competitivenessIf you are still working toward maximizing the competitiveness of your resume for a PhD in a lab like ours, this section is for you! Depending on your goals, I recommend:
Develop a multi-year plan for professional reading & writing. One of the top demands for a successful PhD candidate is mastery of the peer-reviewed literature in our field and the ability to contribute to it efficiently and effectively. Many otherwise excellent applicants to programs like ours simply have not had many opportunities to lead research projects toward completion as peer-reviewed manuscripts themselves. Therefore, completing a thesis-based Master's program that supports your development as a writer and provides opportunities for you to publish 1-2 papers is among the best indicators of your potential success. Of course, this is not the only way to establish your potential for success as an independent scholar and writer -- professional research experience that involves writing grants, reports, white papers, or popular press releases can also distinguish an applicant while establishing an ample track-record of professional writing. I recommend reaching out to an academic mentor in your life and asking for a candid assessment of your background and potential next steps. Take advantage of other opportunities to engage. I work hard to create lots of opportunities to learn together with my lab, whether or not you enroll in our PhD program. Taking advantage of appropriate opportunities will inevitably enhance your competitiveness for jobs and opportunities at the next level, whether or not there is a specific PhD opportunity in my lab this cycle. Here are a few ideas you might consider:
The details about how to applyTake the next steps. Assuming you are still excited and feel ready, this section has all of the logical information you will need to take the next steps! Our lab is able to recruit PhD students through the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology (EEOB), which is based in the Division of Biology and Medicine at Brown University. Therefore, prospective PhD students apply to join the lab through EEOB, which will be their home department. Those who also pursue research with a significant conservation component will benefit from unique opportunities within the Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES). Please refer to the official BioMed Applications site for details on how to apply. To learn more about the PhD program, please visit the Graduate Program website in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology (EEOB) and read our Graduate Student Handbook. Application portal. Please refer to the official BioMed Applications site for details on how to apply. Application fee waiver. Brown University offers application fee waivers to prospective students. I encourage all prospective students to consider applying for an application fee waiver; I strongly believe financial hardship should not present a barrier for consideration. Should I contact the professor before applying?Our PhD program follows a "direct admissions" model, meaning that I must confirm a prospective student will have a spot in my lab in order for them to be a successful applicant to my lab. I continue to welcome prospective students to contact me with general inquiries by email -- either before or after submitting a formal application -- with a brief description of their research interests, experiences, and career goals. However, this is no longer a requirement because our program's decisions about admission begin with a review by an independent admissions committee that seeks to identify the most competitive applications before arranging campus visits. The most successful applicants at this stage will be those who are applying for a specific opportunity that I post and/or that have secured an independent fellowship, as I described above. Because the purpose of an inquiry email is often misunderstood, I recommend checking out the posts here, here, here, or here in addition to any other useful explainers that you may find online. Please be aware that the volume of inquiries emails that we receive during an admissions cycle is so large that we may not be able to reply to all of them in a timely way -- please do not mistake this as a sign of disinterest or feel discouraged in your decision to apply! How can I prepare a strong application statement?Before submitting a formal application, please consider the ways that one or more of our lab's active research projects might represent an outstanding match to your professional interests. Also reflect on the most impactful ways that you might contribute to the lab as well, because the most successful doctoral experiences are characterized by mutualisms between the student and the host program. You should read some of our recent Publications and refer to our Research page for additional context. At present, we are most keen to collaborate with PhD students who are interested in combining genomics, data science, and field ecology to answer major questions about ecology, biodiversity, and/or conservation. If this sounds good, then I encourage you to apply to the EEOB graduate program. Your application statement should clearly identify me as your primary prospective advisor and explain why you consider the lab to be a good match for your research interests. Describe with specific detail what you consider to be your core scientific interests and goals by identifying one significant problem that you might like to work on as a graduate student and explaining why. Whether you hope to build a career in a particular area of ecology, genomics, or data science (or their intersections), your research interests should be understandable to the EEOB faculty at large -- note that our interests and areas of expertise span a diversity of subdisciplines in the field. What kind of support does the program provide to current students?Guaranteed funding. Graduate students who are admitted to our program at Brown are guaranteed 5 years of funding to pursue their PhD. That's job security! Some students may be supported by Fellowships (e.g., NSF GRFP) while others may be required to work as Teaching Assistants to earn their stipends, but all students in good standing are guaranteed funding. I strongly encourage prospective students to apply for external fellowships. Relevant opportunities include NSF's Graduate Research Fellowship Program (due in October), the Ford Foundation's Predoctoral Fellowship (due in December), and the Hertz Foundation's Fellowship (due in October); many other potentially suitable fellowship programs may be available for consideration as well. International students may be eligible to apply for a Fulbright Scholarship to attend grad school in the USA (deadlines and procedures vary depending on country). Competitive stipends & benefits. Brown offers some of the highest stipends for biology PhD students nationally -- possibly the highest relative to cost of living in Providence. Recipients of NSF GRFPs receive 'top up' payments in recognition for earning this prestigious award, which raises salaries up even more. What kind of test scores or transcripts are required?#GRExit. Please note that Brown's EEOB program does not consider GRE scores in any official capacity. You are welcome to list strong scores as this may help your application stand out in a favorable light. Some members of the admissions committee may find the scores you report to be helpful in evaluating your application. However, you do not have to disclose poor scores if you are concerned that it may distract from other strengths in your application materials. The Kartzinel Lab is home to scholars with a wide diversity of personal and professional experiences. I expect lab members to adhere to the highest academic standards and exhibit the work ethic of a consummate scholar. Increasingly, the most successful applicants are likely to be those who already have significant academic or professional experience. Consequently, college transcripts are thus likely to carry some weight in my evaluation as they can be indicators of prior academic experience and performance. However, post-collegiate qualifications are likely to carry greater weight as they can be stronger indicators of your overall research experience and executive function (e.g., first-authored publications, graduate theses or degrees). How is diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) taken into account?Our lab prioritizes an inclusive, respectful, and intellectually challenging environment. We strive for equity and we value the diversity of perspectives that can inform our contributions to ecology, evolution, and the environment—including the diversity of lived experiences among racial, ethnic, national, religious, and economic backgrounds as well as gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, and other aspects of identity (and their intersection). Although it is not a required part of the application to join our graduate program, I invite prospective students to share experiences or offer suggestions related to the important work of advancing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Science as part of their application essay. I value your unique perspective, experience, and/or plans to engage in activities that would enhance diversity and equity in our lab, department, university, and/or discipline. Your perspective can be informed both by your lived experience and your academic activities whether or not you choose to focus on or disclose personal aspects of your identity. However, Brown University is resolute in its policies upholding laws related to DEI principles and—in light of recent and ongoing policy shifts at the national level—I am encouraging prospective students carefully consider their personal safety before disclosing any sensitive information that they might like to protect.
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