Graduate Students

My group has a strong track record of training and supporting graduate students pursuing a Ph.D. in marine geomicrobiology and marine biogeochemistry. In the EPSS Department at UCLA, graduate students are supported through a combination of Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) positions funded by the PI, Teaching Assistantships (TAships), and fellowships (departmental, UCLA-wide, or external, such as NSF GRFP or NASA FINESST).

All prospective students who wish to pursue a Ph.D. with me must apply through the annual EPSS Graduate Admissions cycle (deadline typically toward the end of fall). Although EPSS offers several graduate programs, I only recruit students through the Geochemistry Ph.D. program, which provides the strongest scientific foundation for the research conducted in my group.

While I am also affiliated with the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS) Department, the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) Department, and the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability (IoES), I am not ladder faculty in those units and therefore cannot easily recruit students through their programs. However, co-advising arrangements may be possible if you identify a ladder-faculty primary advisor in those departments.

Before You Apply: Key Considerations

1. Alignment with my group’s research

Please familiarize yourself thoroughly with the research conducted in my group and ensure that your long-term interests align with marine geomicrobiology, marine biogeochemistry, and the associated field, laboratory, and analytical approaches. Some of our work also intersects with astrobiology, although research opportunities in that area are less frequently funded.

2. Project availability depends on external funding

Projects listed on my website may not be the projects available when you start. The research opportunities I can offer depend on current and future grants (NSF, NASA, NOAA, etc.). Even if you bring a fellowship that covers your salary, research activities—often expensive—must still be supported through my group’s funds. Flexibility and openness to funded project directions are essential.

3. Funding reality: shared responsibility

Because GSR support cannot be guaranteed for all five years of a typical Ph.D. (most grants last 2–3 years), students should expect a mix of GSRs, TAships, and fellowship support. Actively seeking external fellowships is encouraged and often necessary.

4. Research funded by public agencies comes with responsibilities

As your work will likely be part of externally funded research, you will be expected to contribute to data production, data reporting to repositories, project reporting obligations, and first-author publications. Your Ph.D. is not an isolated hobby project—it is embedded in collaborative funded research.

5. Commitment

A Ph.D. at UCLA typically takes around five years. Please be thoughtful about whether this commitment is right for you.

What to Expect During the Ph.D.

Year 1

  • Coursework
  • Required lab safety trainings
  • Possible TAship
  • Hands-on training in lab methods while assisting with ongoing projects
  • Development of your first (and possibly second) research project
  • Students usually begin substantial research work in spring quarter and during their first summer.

Year 2

  • Continued coursework
  • Possible TAship
  • Deeper engagement in research
  • Formation of your Ph.D. committee
  • First qualifying exam at the end of spring quarter
  • Completion of the first exam also qualifies you for a Master’s degree.

Years 3–4

  • Primarily focused on research
  • Fieldwork and laboratory campaigns
  • Possible TAship
  • Preparation for the second qualifying exam at the end of Year 4 (advancement to candidacy)

Year 5

  • Completion of manuscripts
  • Dissertation writing
  • Public seminar and oral defense
  • If financially possible, avoidance of TAship

Expectations for Graduate Students in My Group

Students in my group are typically expected to:

  • Contribute to general lab operations (ordering supplies, waste management, supervising undergraduates, maintaining lab spaces)
  • Take primary responsibility for at least one analytical instrument or method (ideally for those that are aligned with your research)
  • Participate in multi-week oceanographic research expeditions (typically 2–3 weeks, sometimes up to 6–8 weeks)
  • Participate in other field campaigns (e.g., salt marshes, lakes, salt mines)
  • Work intensive hours during field, cruise, or lab campaigns
  • Submit fellowship and small grant proposals (travel grants, research funds)
  • Submit at least three first-author manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals prior to graduation
  • Attend and contribute to group meetings
  • Participate in departmental seminars and (when funding allows) present at professional conferences (OSM/ASLO, Goldschmidt, AGU, EGU, ASM)
  • Prepare a dissertation consisting of:
    1. Introduction (background, hypotheses)
    2. 3+ Manuscripts
    3. Synthesis and conclusions
  • Give a 30-minute public thesis defense, followed by approximately one hour of committee questioning

How to Inquire About Joining My Group

If you are interested in joining my group as a Ph.D. student, please:

  1. Confirm that you have read and understood the information above.
  2. Email me before the application deadline to ask whether I am recruiting this year (this depends on available funding).
  3. Include briefly in your email:
    • A description of your background
    • Why you want to join my lab
    • The research area(s) you are most interested in
    • Your CV
    • Anything else you would like me to know

If I have the capacity to support a new student and your interests and qualification align with my group, I am happy to schedule a video meeting. If you are admitted and selected for a visit, UCLA will invite you to campus to meet my group, tour the lab, and speak with current graduate students.

Master’s Students

I generally do not accept Master’s students unless they are fully self-funded (fellowship or personal funds). If you fall into this category, you may reach out to discuss options.

Expectations for Master’s students are similar to those for Ph.D. students, though the program typically lasts two years. You will be expected to complete a Master’s thesis formatted as a scientific manuscript, which—if the dataset supports it—may be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal under my supervision.