The Mason Lab (https://plantevoecophys.wordpress.com/) in the Department of Biology at the University of Central Florida is currently recruiting motivated, curious, and enthusiastic PhD students to join the lab in Fall 2017. As a plant evolutionary ecophysiology lab, our research naturally centers on the intersection of plant ecology, evolution, physiology, and genetics. We are especially interested in the physiological and genetic mechanisms underlying plant adaptation to diverse environmental pressures, including abiotic factors like climate and soil fertility, and biotic factors like herbivory and disease. All plants face physiological trade-offs between growth, defense, and reproduction, and we seek to understand the coordinated evolution of the traits that govern these three core functions. Our research addresses a variety of questions across multiple scales, from macroevolution to population differentiation to within-individual variation, as well as in multiple systems, from crops to wild herbs and woody plants.
Project topics for prospective students are highly flexible, and interested students should contact Chase Mason (chasemason.evolut...@gmail.com) to discuss research interests before applying to the Department of Biology Graduate program (https://biology.cos.ucf.edu/graduate-program/), which has a deadline of January 15th. The Department of Biology provides teaching and research assistantships, tuition waivers, and health insurance, and a variety of competitive university fellowships are also available. The University of Central Florida is the largest university in the United States, with an enrollment of 63,000 students. Over the past two decades, UCF has undergone a dramatic expansion and development into a modern R1 university. UCF is currently making major investments in research, including hiring more than 200 new tenure-track faculty and increasing graduate program enrollment by 25% over the next five years. UCF is an equal opportunity, equal access, and affirmative action employer. Chase Mason Assistant Professor Department of Biology University of Central Florida Email: chasemason.evolut...@gmail.com Website: https://plantevoecophys.wordpress.com/
