Positions
We are currently recruiting Postdoctoral Fellows and Graduate Students
Postdoctoral Fellow Applicants
A postdoc position is currently available. Postdocs usually lead projects that are rooted in at least one of the major research questions of the lab. Individuals are encouraged to apply for independent funding to support their research. We are especially interested in postdocs looking to perform wet and dry studies, and those with strong leadership and communication skills.
If you are considering applying, please contact Rob as early as possible to begin discussing project ideas and your anticipated timeline.
Graduate Student Applicants
If you are interested in becoming a graduate student in our lab you must apply to UNC’s Biological & Biomedical Sciences Program. BBSP is an umbrella program that admits students from a broad range of research areas. During the first year of the program students do 3 laboratory rotations in labs across the many Departments at UNC.
Graduate students in BBSP join a degree-granting program after their first year. For our graduate students, they often join Genetics & Molecular Biology program, Biology program,or Cell Biology & Physiology program. During the 5 years generally spent in the lab, a graduate student’s funding support is covered by the BBSP program, training grants, and grants from our lab.
Undergraduate Student Applicants
Undergraduate students can join the lab through different mechanisms. We are especially interested in training students who are considering pursuing a career in research and can commit to working in the lab for more than 1 year. The most common mechanisms to get involved in undergraduate research are:
- Volunteer
- Federal Work-Study program. Eligible students can work part-time in the lab to fund their college costs. These students often assist in the general functioning of the lab and contribute to ongoing projects. These openings will be posted on JobX at the beginning of the semester (in August and January).
- Research for credit during fall, spring and summer semesters.
- BIOL395. Earn 3 credit hours for 10-12 hours of lab research per week. Write a 10 page paper at the end of the semester. This class can be taken more than once. Pre-requisite BIOL201 or BIOL202.
- BIOL495. Earn 3 credit hours for 10-12 hours of lab research per week. Present a poster at the Biology Department Symposium at the end of the semester. This class can be taken more than once. Pre-requisite BIOL201 or BIOL202.
- BIOL692H Senior Honors Thesis. Earn 3 credit hours for 10-12 hours of lab research per week plus take a 2 hour class each week. Prerequisite of 3 hours of BIOL395, GPA 3.4
- Funding may be available to perform research in a full-time paid position.
To apply, please read the Biology Department’s Undergraduate Research pages and send a resume with grades to Rob Dowen.