Graduate research projects located at Konza Prairie can be based out of different collaborating institutions, depending on individual situations, interests, and goals. Because details will vary by program, to help facilitate the application process, some KNZ-affiliated faculty have provided specific information about their lab groups and individual university and departmental graduate application requirements and deadlines. Even if current positions are not available, be alert for future opportunities.
Meghan Avolio, Plant Ecology
Institution, Program: Johns Hopkins University, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Program Grad School Link: https://eps.jhu.edu/graduate/
Application Requirements: Application Form, Individual Statement, 3 Letters of Recommendation, Official Transcripts, Application Fee (waived under some circumstances)
Application Deadline: January 1, 2021
Laboratory Principal Investigator and Contact Email: Meghan Avolio, meghan.avolio@jhu.edu
Research Theme: Plant ecology in grasslands and cities; research in plant community assembly and plant adaptation to novel environments
Lab Link: https://avoliolab.weebly.com
I am not recruiting for Fall 2021.
Sara G. Baer, Restoration Ecology
Institution, Program: University of Kansas, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Kansas Biological Survey
Institutional Grad School Link: https://gradapply.ku.edu/
Program Grad School Link: http://eeb.ku.edu/how-apply
Application Requirements:
• Resume/C.V.: A current resume or curriculum vita must be uploaded with the application.
• 2 Statements: a) a statement of purpose in pursuing graduate education, and b) a personal statement to help us understand your background and personality.
• 3 Letters of Recommendation
• Transcript
• GRE Scores: Students who apply to our graduate program are not required to submit GRE scores.
• Proof of English Proficiency: http://graduate.ku.edu/english-proficiency-requirements.
Application Deadline: Fall: December 1st
Laboratory Principal Investigator and Contact Email: Sara Baer, sgbaer@ku.edu
Research Theme: Restoration, Soil, and Ecosystem Ecology
Lab Link: https://baerecologylab.ku.edu/
Brief description of our research:
Our research interests are in the realms of soil, ecosystem, community, and restoration ecology. Most of our research is conducted in former agricultural systems restored to grassland. We use manipulative approaches, as well as natural variation in climate and soil, to address theoretical and applied questions about factors that influence above- and belowground recovery during ecological restoration. Current research projects examine the roles of (i) interannual variation in climate on trajectories of community development; (ii) soil heterogeneity on restoring plant diversity; and (iii) ecotypic variation on plant diversity and ecosystem functioning in restored prairie. Our research also uses grasslands restored at different times under contrasting climates, soil, and levels of plant diversity to model and reveal factors controlling the recovery of soil nutrient pools, microbial communities, roots, soil structure, and sequestered carbon in restored grasslands throughout the U.S. Midwest and South Africa.
Where do my graduated students work? At Universities as professors and technicians, The Nature Conservancy, State Departments of Conservation, County Conservation Districts, Land Trusts, US Forest Service, USDA/ARS, Botanic Gardens, and industry.
Walter Dodds, Freshwater Ecology
Institution, Program: Kansas State University, Division of Biology
Institutional Grad School Link: https://www.k-state.edu/grad/admissions/application-process/
Program Grad School Link: https://www.k-state.edu/biology/grad/why.html
Application Requirements: Application Form, Individual Statement, 3 Letters of Recommendation, Official Transcripts, no GRE requirement, Application Fee (waived under some circumstances)
Application Deadline: 15 December 2020 (Fall ’21), 1 August 2021 (Spring ’22)
Laboratory Principal Investigator and Contact Email: wkdodds@ksu.edu
Research Theme: Freshwater Ecology
Lab Link: https://www.k-state.edu/doddslab/, https://www.k-state.edu/doddslab/graduatestudy/index.html
Brief description of our research:
Established in 1990, this freshwater ecology laboratory has been involved in a wide range of types of aquatic research aiming to gain a general understanding of aquatic ecology. The group has particularly emphasized how basic science is related to water quality and conservation. Areas of research include, trophic state of rivers and streams as influenced by biotic and abiotic factors, nutrient cycling (highlighting nitrogen), and grassland stream ecology. Recent efforts have also been directed toward providing a scientific basis for establishment of nutrient criteria in streams, valuation of aquatic ecosystem services, scaling predictions of ecological measurements, and broad geographic patterns in aquatic habitats. Over the years, more than 20 graduate students, 8 postdoctoral associates, and over 30 undergraduate researchers have participated in establishing a successful and productive laboratory. We are dedicated to making the world a better place through our science.
Andrew Hope, Mammalian Evolution and Ecology
Institution, Program: Kansas State University, Division of Biology
Institutional Grad School Link: https://www.k-state.edu/grad/admissions/application-process/
Program Grad School Link: https://www.k-state.edu/biology/grad/why.html
Application Requirements: Application Form, Individual Statement, 3 Letters of Recommendation, Official Transcripts, no GRE requirement, Application Fee (waived under some circumstances)
Application Deadline: 15 December 2020 (Fall ’21), 1 August 2021 (Spring ’22)
Laboratory Principal Investigator and Contact Email: ahope@ksu.edu
Lab Link: https://www.k-state.edu/hopelab/
Brief description of our research:
This is an interdisciplinary lab group focused on understanding the evolutionary and ecological responses of biodiversity to environmental change. We incorporate theory and practice from the diverse fields of climate change, comparative phylogeography, conservation genetics, dynamics of hybridization, emerging infectious disease, host-parasite coevolution, natural history of mammals and their parasites, phylogenetic systematics, and speciation.
Our research has global scope, although there is a strong emphasis on northern hemisphere small mammal and parasite assemblages, conservation of Arctic biodiversity, and the dynamics surrounding ecotones between major biomes such as the boreal forest-tundra suture zone at northern high-latitudes and the Great Plains-eastern forest suture that bisects North America from west to east.
The techniques we use include molecular methods (Sanger sequencing, microsatellites, and next-generation sequencing of DNA), morphometrics, stable isotope evaluation of diet, and modeling of potential environmental niche through time. Our research relies heavily on specimen archives held in natural history museum research collections. Through extensive and ongoing field sampling efforts we strive to practice ethical holistic collection of all associated specimen parts to maximize future research potential for the broader scientific community, for informing wildlife managers, and for both public and academic education.
Kim Komatsu, Community and Ecosystem Ecology
Institution, Program: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Laboratory Principal Investigator and Contact Email: Kimberly Komatsu, komatsuk@si.edu
Research Theme: Consequences of global change for communities and subsequent ecosystem function
Lab Link: https://serc.si.edu/labs/ecosystem-conservation
Brief note on why you decided to go to graduate school:
I fell in love with ecological research as an undergraduate, and went to graduate school as the first step towards pursuing a career running a research lab.
Anything else relevant:
The Smithsonian is a non-profit/government institution and does not have a graduate program. We’re a great place to look for pre- or post-candidacy graduate fellowships and postdocs though!
Allison Louthan, Plant Population & Community Ecology
Institution, Program: Kansas State University, Division of Biology
Institutional Grad School Link: https://www.k-state.edu/grad/admissions/application-process/
Program Grad School Link: https://www.k-state.edu/biology/grad/why.html
Application Requirements: Application Form, Individual Statement, 3 Letters of Recommendation, Official Transcripts, no GRE requirement, Application Fee (waived under some circumstances)
Application Deadline: December 15 for Fall, August 1 for Spring
Laboratory Principal Investigator and Contact Email: Allison Louthan, amlouthan@ksu.edu
Research Theme: Plant Population & Community Ecology
Lab Link: http://www.louthanlab.com/
Brief description of our research:
Our lab works at the intersection of population and community ecology, focusing on how species interactions and climate change jointly influence plant population dynamics and distribution patterns. We use a combination of observational fieldwork, field- and greenhouse-based experiments, and modeling to explore how species interactions might impact future biodiversity patterns in a changing climate.
Anything else relevant:
Not recruiting for 2021.
Jesse Nippert, Plant Physiological Ecology
Institution, Program: Kansas State University, Division of Biology
Institutional Grad School Link: https://www.k-state.edu/grad/admissions/application-process/
Program Grad School Link: https://www.k-state.edu/biology/grad/why.html
Application Requirements: Application Form, Individual Statement, 3 Letters of Recommendation, Official Transcripts, no GRE requirement, Application Fee (waived under some circumstances)
Application Deadline: 15 December 2020 (Fall ’21), 1 August 2021 (Spring ’22)
Laboratory Principal Investigator and Contact Email: nippert@ksu.edu
Research Theme: Plant physiological ecology
Lab Link: https://www.k-state.edu/ecophyslab/
Brief description of our research:
We study grassland plant ecophysiology, with a particular emphasis on ecohydrology, grass-woody plant interactions, and utilizing stable isotopes to investigate water and carbon fluxes within the context of future responses to climate change. We use long-term experiments and data collected from two complimentary grassland ecosystems: tallgrass prairie (Konza Prairie, KS) and lowveld savanna (Kruger National Park, South Africa). Our lab has established an international reputation with regard to root competition dynamics for water, C4 grass ecophysiology, and the ecology of woody plant encroachment in grasslands. We currently have 3 PhD and 4 MS students conducting independent research within our lab. Our goal is to provide a fun, supportive atmosphere while working to solve some of ecology’s most pressing questions!
Anything else relevant:
Not recruiting for 2021.
Zak Ratajczak, Community Ecology
Institution, Program: Kansas State University, Division of Biology
Institutional Grad School Link: https://www.k-state.edu/grad/admissions/application-process/
Program Grad School Link: https://www.k-state.edu/biology/grad/why.html
Application Requirements: Application Form, Individual Statement, 3 Letters of Recommendation, Official Transcripts, no GRE requirement, Application Fee (waived under some circumstances)
Application Deadline: 15 December 2020 (Fall ’21), 1 August 2021 (Spring ’22)
Laboratory Principal Investigator and Contact Email: zarata@ksu.edu
Research Theme: Community Ecology, Complex systems
Lab Link: https://www.k-state.edu/biology/people/tenure/ratajczak/index.html; https://zaratajczak.wixsite.com/zak-ratajczak
Brief description of our research:
Our lab is interested in how plant communities and landscapes maintain their resilience—that’s the ability to absorb pressures without reaching a breaking point. We work mostly in grasslands, savannas, and forests, with an emphasis on fire, megagrazers (such as Bison), and climate extremes (such as drought and wildfires). Really understanding ecology and resilience requires a multi-faceted approach, so we use most of the tools available: long-term experiments, new measurements in the field, data from satellites, and computer simulations. Students are not expected to learn all of these, but we offer training opportunities in these areas for those who want them.
Unfortunately, I do not have dedicated funding for new students right now (start date of Fall 2021), but if you are interested in working in the lab and pursuing a fellowship, please contact me.
Gail Wilson, Plant-Soil-Microbial Interactions
Institution, Program: Oklahoma State University
Institutional Grad School Link: https://gradcollege.okstate.edu/
Program Grad School Link: https://agriculture.okstate.edu/departments-programs/natural-resource/in...
Application Requirements: Application Form, Individual Statement, 3 Letters of Recommendation, Official Transcripts. You must also have a faculty advisor agree to serve as your advisor before admittance to the program.
Application Deadline: Our department has no application deadline
Laboratory Principal Investigator and Contact Email: gail.wilson@okstate.edu
Research Theme:
Research in our lab focuses on plant-soil-microbial interactions, plant community ecology, and plant-animal interactions with an emphasis on mycorrhizal ecology, as dynamics within the soil community can be a major driver of the plant community. Managing this symbiotic relationship can have global implications for sustainable ecosystem management and food production, as well as successful restoration of degraded ecosystems and belowground carbon storage. Our research utilizes long-term field projects to describe biological interactions in a natural system and short-term greenhouse and laboratory studies to untangle key interactions and mechanisms.
Lydia Zeglin, Microbial Ecology
Institution, Program: Kansas State University, Division of Biology
Institutional Grad School Link: https://www.k-state.edu/grad/admissions/application-process/
Program Grad School Link: https://www.k-state.edu/biology/grad/why.html
Application Requirements: Application Form, Individual Statement, 3 Letters of Recommendation, Official Transcripts, no GRE requirement, Application Fee (waived under some circumstances)
Application Deadline: 15 December 2020 (Fall ’21), 1 August 2021 (Spring ’22)
Laboratory Principal Investigator and Contact Email: lzeglin@ksu.edu
Research Theme: Microbial diversity and nutrient cycling processes in soils and streams; microbial community ecology, microbial biogeochemistry and ecosystem ecology
Lab Link: http://zeglinlab.weebly.com/
Brief description of our research:
Our main goal is to build knowledge on the maintenance and sustainability of managed and 'natural' ecosystem services, within the context of disturbance and global change, through the integration of perspectives at microbial and ecosystem scales. Ongoing research themes include understanding how grassland management (fire, grazing, fertilization) and drought legacies affect soil microbial community structure and carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling functions, the microbial mechanisms underlying linked C and N biogeochemistry, the hydrologic and nutrient conditions that affect stream microbial diversity and function, concurrent development of soil organic matter and microbial communities on fresh parent material (volcanic ash), and the role of the microbiome in mediating vertebrate development and health. We welcome and value perspectives that are outside our individual ranges of familiarity. We learn from one another, and we know more together.
Anything else relevant: