Your Future!

Some Job Options for Biologists

• Academia– Professor– Lab Technician

• State and Federal Government (State environmental and wildlife divisions, NOAA, etc.)

• Consulting firms (large firms - Louis Berger, CSA International, etc. or smaller, local firms)

• NGOs, Non-profits, Grassroots organizations (e.g. The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Federation, etc.)

Grad School

• Start making connections (and getting experience) NOW!– Internships– Undergraduate research– NSF REU Program – Volunteering– Scientific meetings

What to Look for in a Major Professor

• “Turns out it’s not where but who you’re with that really matters”- DMB

• Choose a professor, not a university• Want someone whose research you are interested in• Want someone who has a means/plan to secure your

funding for the duration of your time in school (within reason)– Grants– Fellowship– Teaching Assistantship– Research Fellowship

What to Look for in a Major Professor

• Ask them about potential research ideas for you – be sure it is something you are interested in. If not, are they willing to pursue alternate ideas? Will you work together in coming up with your plan (or is it a dictatorship? – you don’t want that)

• How many grad students do they currently have? Too many may mean less attention/assistance for you.

• What is the average time it takes for his students to graduate?

• Any support for attending or presenting at professional meetings?

Detective Work

• Publications (in peer-reviewed journals) – but consider length of career

• Grants Received/Awarded – also consider length of career

• Professional reputation among peers and grad students– If they are a jerk to everyone else, they will likely be

a jerk to you• Are they likely to stay put for the duration of

your stay (if not, are you willing to follow them?)

Detective Work

• Talk to current grad students– How helpful/supportive/sane is the professor?– What is it like working in that lab?– How do you get help for the field (i.e. interns,

techs, other grad students…)– Do grad students receive any support from

university?– Are they happy with their situation?

Maximize Your Chances of Acceptance

• Score high on GRE (makes you more competitive for fellowships)

• Contact the professors you are interested in and try to meet with them to discuss the possibility of you being their grad student – this is where making connections comes in really handy– If goes well, ask if they will support your application– Otherwise your application is thrown into a pot and

professors see if there is anyone in that pot they might be interested in – NOT IDEAL

Maximize Your Chances of Acceptance

• Have great recommendation letters (again, this is where connections and hands-on experience are helpful)– If haven’t had any hands-on experience or don’t

have any good connections, then ask professor that you have somewhat of a relationship with and that you scored an A in their class – they will likely ask you for more information regarding your career plans, undergraduate exp., etc.

Some Helpful Websites

• http://www.naml.org/ - National Association of Marine Labs

• http://fisheries.org/ - American Fisheries Society

• http://www.erf.org/ - Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation

• http://www.gulfbase.org/ - GulfBase Resource Database for Gulf of Mexico Research

Some Helpful Websites

• http://www.esa.org – Ecological Society of America

• http://aslo.org/ - Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography

• http://www.nature.org/ - The Nature Conservancy

• http://www.worldwildlife.org/home-full.html - World Wildlife Fund

• http://www.usajobs.gov/ - U.S. Federal Government Jobs (e.g. NOAA)

Other Web Resources

• ECOLOG listserv• CORAL-LIST listserv• Seagrass Forum listserv