The Disease Ecology lab at UNC Wilmington is seeking highly motivated graduate students (MS and PhD) to explore the ecology of parasites in coastal systems. Students enter the MS program, but can transfer to the PhD program after their first year, if mutually agreed upon. A graduate thesis will have a strong theoretical basis and will combine empirical and modeling approaches. Students will have the freedom to design their own projects in local systems of interest (e.g., parasites of the eastern oyster, marsh/mud snails, mummichogs, crustaceans, invasive lionfish, and many others). UNCW’s Center for Marine Science (CMS, https://uncw.edu/cms/index.html) houses facilities and resources available for student projects, including indoor and outdoor tanks with running seawater, vehicles, vessels, drones, microscopes, a 900-foot pier with docking facilities, an instrument fabrication shop, and the Shellfish Research Hatchery. MS and PhD students are supported on TA-ships (and RA-ships, when available).

For more information, please contact Dr. Julia Buck at buckj@uncw.edu. In your inquiry email, please include: 1) a description of your research interests and career goals, 2) your CV, 3) academic transcripts (unofficial is fine), and 4) a sample of scientific writing (e.g., a manuscript in preparation, undergraduate thesis, or similar). Please note that the GRE is required for admission to UNC Wilmington. For admission for spring semester, applications are due Nov 15, but encouraged by Oct 15. For admission for fall semester, applications are due June 15, but encouraged by Feb 15.