Hello and thanks for your interest! If you are excited about using data-driven approaches to understand the interactions between agriculture, ecology and the environment, you've come to the right place. We are always looking for creative, self-motivated researchers from undergrad thru postdoc to join the lab. Please take a look below for some useful information.
Prospective PhD students:
If you are interested in pursuing a PhD at the Bren School, please contact me ASAP with your cv and a short description of your research interests and why this lab is a good fit. In brief, we are a group of ecologists and natural scientists keen to apply computational, GIS/remote sensing, and/or statistics/causal inference approaches to answer key questions in ecology and sustainable agriculture. If that sounds like your interests, please continue reading. If you are primarily interested in field work, ecotoxicology, or environmental engineering, I encourage you to look at other faculty in Bren, EEMB or geography.
Research Topics: I encourage students to take ownership of their project fully. I expect student interests will fit within the lab umbrella, but students are not 'given' a project. Rather, I encourage students to think deeply and explore widely, and provide an environment that supports creativity, curiosity and scientific rigor.
Mentorship Style: My goal as a graduate mentor is to provide the environment through which students will grow into independent and creative scientists. I will help guide students through the scientific process through collaborative opportunities on papers or grants early on, but will expect an increasingly level of independence and lab leadership as students progress towards graduation and an independent scientific career.
Lab Dynamics: Ask one of the PhD students! The goal is to create a dynamic where everyone is treated as, and rises to the occasion of being treated as, colleagues. We are a collegial group that celebrates each others' successes and cushions the setbacks. We all have our hobbies, and those are encouraged in parallel with conducting creative, rigorous science.
Funding: I will work diligently to secure funding for PhD research, and I expect students to do the same. With that in mind, I strongly encourage prospective students to apply for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (due early October) and/or other funding as relevant to their interests and eligibility (e.g. EPA STAR, NDSEG, NIH, Ford Fellowship). I am happy to work with prospective students to develop a strong proposal, so please email me early.
Master’s degrees: Unfortunately, we do not offer research-based master's degree. Rather, the Bren School offers professional Master’s degrees in Environmental Science & Management and Environmental Data Science that are course-work and group project based. If you are interested in the professional Master’s programs, please see here . If you are currently a Bren MESM or MEDS student interested in doing agriculture/ecology research as an independent study or summer RA, please email me.
Postdocs: If you're interested in a potential postdoc in my lab, please send a cv and a statement of interest. There are many great fellowship opportunities (NSF, UC President's, USDA) and I am happy to work with a promising candidate to develop a proposal. I am always applying for grants, and postdoc opportunities periodically arise as a result, so please reach out.
Thanks for your interest and I look forward to hearing from you.
Ashley
(larsen <at> bren.ucsb.edu)
Prospective PhD students:
If you are interested in pursuing a PhD at the Bren School, please contact me ASAP with your cv and a short description of your research interests and why this lab is a good fit. In brief, we are a group of ecologists and natural scientists keen to apply computational, GIS/remote sensing, and/or statistics/causal inference approaches to answer key questions in ecology and sustainable agriculture. If that sounds like your interests, please continue reading. If you are primarily interested in field work, ecotoxicology, or environmental engineering, I encourage you to look at other faculty in Bren, EEMB or geography.
Research Topics: I encourage students to take ownership of their project fully. I expect student interests will fit within the lab umbrella, but students are not 'given' a project. Rather, I encourage students to think deeply and explore widely, and provide an environment that supports creativity, curiosity and scientific rigor.
Mentorship Style: My goal as a graduate mentor is to provide the environment through which students will grow into independent and creative scientists. I will help guide students through the scientific process through collaborative opportunities on papers or grants early on, but will expect an increasingly level of independence and lab leadership as students progress towards graduation and an independent scientific career.
Lab Dynamics: Ask one of the PhD students! The goal is to create a dynamic where everyone is treated as, and rises to the occasion of being treated as, colleagues. We are a collegial group that celebrates each others' successes and cushions the setbacks. We all have our hobbies, and those are encouraged in parallel with conducting creative, rigorous science.
Funding: I will work diligently to secure funding for PhD research, and I expect students to do the same. With that in mind, I strongly encourage prospective students to apply for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (due early October) and/or other funding as relevant to their interests and eligibility (e.g. EPA STAR, NDSEG, NIH, Ford Fellowship). I am happy to work with prospective students to develop a strong proposal, so please email me early.
Master’s degrees: Unfortunately, we do not offer research-based master's degree. Rather, the Bren School offers professional Master’s degrees in Environmental Science & Management and Environmental Data Science that are course-work and group project based. If you are interested in the professional Master’s programs, please see here . If you are currently a Bren MESM or MEDS student interested in doing agriculture/ecology research as an independent study or summer RA, please email me.
Postdocs: If you're interested in a potential postdoc in my lab, please send a cv and a statement of interest. There are many great fellowship opportunities (NSF, UC President's, USDA) and I am happy to work with a promising candidate to develop a proposal. I am always applying for grants, and postdoc opportunities periodically arise as a result, so please reach out.
Thanks for your interest and I look forward to hearing from you.
Ashley
(larsen <at> bren.ucsb.edu)
