I expect new lab members to have a strong interest in conservation biology or global change ecology and their intersection with quantitative ecology, ecological modeling, or research synthesis, especially as applied to insect and bird conservation. Ideally, your research would fit within an ongoing Research Coordination Network on insect biodiversity change and conservation globally. Please get in touch if you are interested in joining the lab.

Expectations

Graduate students are essential to the functioning of any productive lab, and mentoring grad students is a core role for me. I believe that the role of a mentor is to guide and support you to achieve your goals by providing advice, resources, and connections to help you be successful. As a student (or post-doc) in my lab, you can expect me to:

• Treat you with respect. I will also maintain a positive lab environment and make sure everyone can do their work in a welcoming space.
• Give critical and constructive feedback. I will not dictate how to do your research because that is up to you, however, I will give you lots of feedback and suggestions to help you when you get stuck.
• Meet with you regularly. I will make time to meet with you to help you plan, set goals and timelines, hold you accountable (if that is helpful to you), and help you find solutions to problems you encounter along the way to finishing your project.
• Help you get access to resources. Provide advice on grant writing, connections and networking, and whatever you need to be successful in your research.
• Support you in whatever career path you choose. Mentorship does not stop when you finish your degree. I view mentoring students as a commitment to help you achieve your career goals, whether that be academia, industry, government, or any other career in conservation and ecology.

As a member of my lab, I expect you to:

• Take ownership of your research. I can help guide and advise you as you develop your ideas, but ultimately, you are in control of your own research program as you become a world expert on what you study.
• Prioritize your development as a researcher. Grad school is one of the few times in your career you will have to explore entirely new areas of research in-depth. It is also an incredibly demanding program and requires a lot of time and energy.
• Act in a professional, ethical, and respectful manner. Make science a better place for everyone.
• Engage with the scientific community. Keep current on scientific research being published in your field, attend conferences and network with potential collaborators, stay engaged with departmental events and activities.
• Be open to feedback. I will give you lots, and lots of feedback. Not all of it will be positive, and I tend to be very blunt with my feedback because I want to help you develop as a researcher.

I also expect that graduate students will have a field component to their research in addition to computation and synthesis because it is essential to understand the natural history of the systems with which you work and also the realities of field-collected data.

If you are interested in possibly joining the lab and you think it would be a good fit, please get in touch via email (egrames@binghamton.edu). Please make sure to tell me who you are, what your research interests are, why you want to pursue a graduate degree in my lab, and include your CV.