Matt Carling
Postdoc - Cornell University
PhD - Louisiana State University
MS - University of Idaho
BS - University of Michigan
Rebecca Harris - Cornell University undergraduate
As part of her Honor's thesis, Rebecca is exploring the impact of different sampling strategies and analytical methods on inferring the evolutionary history of closely related avian species.
Lindsay Serene - Cornell University undergraduate
Lindsay is extracting DNA from study skins collected from across the Baltimore x Bullock’s Oriole hybrid zone in the 1950s and 60s to investigate the genetic structure of that zone as it was ~50 years ago. Lindsay is working in the lab as part of the Hughes Scholar Program at Cornell University.
Both Rebecca and Lindsay are co-advised by Irby Lovette
Interested in joining the lab?
Beginning in January 2011 I will be an Assistant Professor in the Department of Zoology and Physiology at the University of Wyoming and will be looking for students to join the lab. Primarily, I work on questions related to adaptation and speciation in birds. Students in my lab are expected to incorporate questions related to those broad themes into their research, but beyond that are encouraged to develop their own projects. However, I do expect all of my students to contribute to the collections at the Berry Center for Natural History and Conservation, either through focused collecting efforts for their own projects or through general collecting efforts.
Laramie is a terrific little college town, located on a high plain (elev ~7200 ft) between the Snowy Range (~30 mi west) and the Laramie Range (~7 mi east). Not surprisingly, outdoor recreation opportunities are plentiful. Gradudate student stipends are quite good, especially given the relatively low cost of living in Laramie.
Sunrise over LaramieI will be taking students in beginning in January 2011. Generally speaking, students with extensive research experience will have an advantage.
Students working with me can be admitted either through the Department of Zoology and Physiology (MS and PhD) or through the interdepartmental Program in Ecology (PhD).
The University of Wyoming has particularly strong (and growing) programs in Ornithology and Ecology. You may also be interested in the following people that work on birds or speciation and adaptation:
Craig Benkman - Behavior, ecology and evolution, particularly in Loxia crossbills
Alex Buerkle - Genetics of speciation and adaptation in sunflowers and Populus
Anna Chalfoun - Wildlife-habitat relationships, especially of songbirds in sagebrush systems
Carlos Martinez del Rio - Physiological ecology
Dave McDonald - Behavioral and molecular ecology, particularly in lek-mating birds
Interested students should contact me via email (mdc248 [at] cornell.edu) and I can provide you with more details.
