Thank you for your interest in the DiRenzo Lab group!
Below you can find information about joining the lab as either a graduate or undergraduate student.
Below you can find information about joining the lab as either a graduate or undergraduate student.
Undergraduate students.
I can mentor undergraduate students at UMass, Amherst. We can work together to find a project that fits your needs and research interests. I work with a number of collaborators that have a ton of data that needs to be analyzed from a diversity of taxa.
If you are interested in doing research or completing an honors thesis, please email me at [email protected] with the following information:
If you are interested in doing research or completing an honors thesis, please email me at [email protected] with the following information:
- about you (e.g., why are you interested in research?, what are you hoping to gain from a research experience? what kind of mentor do you work best with?)
- your research interests (e.g., what skills are you hoping to develop from a research experience? What research questions are you most excited about answering?)
- your career goals (e.g., what are some career paths you are interested in pursuing?).
Graduate students.
At this moment, I don't have funding to take on a student for Fall 2022, but we can work together on obtaining funding and get you working on a project that you are passionate about. There are a few options that we can explore. Briefly, I could submit proposals to fund your position (working on something you are interested in) and/or you can apply for fellowships to fund your position (and these are awarded directly to you; e.g., NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program). In both cases, we are trying to obtain funding to cover your monthly stipend, tuition, and (hopefully) research expenses.
If you are interested in chatting, please email me with the following information:
I can mentor students in the Department of Environmental Conservation (ECo) AND the Organismic & Evolutionary Biology (OEB) Department. Note that the requirements for graduation are different depending on which program you apply to, and the decision related to which program to apply to relates to which careers you are most interested in pursuing. However, keep in mind that these are interdisciplinary departments and you would likely gain similar skills and knowledge regardless of the department.
For more information on ECo, check out this website for more information about the UMass graduate program. You can also checkout the graduate student handbook for much more information.
ECo offers thesis (research) and non-thesis (professional) degrees over 5 concentrations:
The thesis/dissertation degree leads to the MS or PhD degree and centers around the completion of a major independent research project in addition to a modest coursework requirement. The professional degree leads to the MS degree and centers around a professional paper based on an internship/practicum in addition to a more substantial coursework requirement.
For more information on the OEB graduate program, check out this website. OEB offers both masters and PhD level degrees. Many of the same ideas about finding a faculty mentor and securing funding also apply to the OEB department. Interestingly, this department offers a list of faculty that have funding (or have funding pending) looking to take on students in the next academic year.
If you are interested in chatting, please email me with the following information:
- about you (e.g., are you hoping to earn a Masters or PhD?, what kind of mentor do you work best with?)
- your research interests (e.g., what skills are you hoping to develop in grad school? And what research questions are you most excited about answering?)
- your career goals (e.g., what are some career paths you are interested in pursuing?).
I can mentor students in the Department of Environmental Conservation (ECo) AND the Organismic & Evolutionary Biology (OEB) Department. Note that the requirements for graduation are different depending on which program you apply to, and the decision related to which program to apply to relates to which careers you are most interested in pursuing. However, keep in mind that these are interdisciplinary departments and you would likely gain similar skills and knowledge regardless of the department.
For more information on ECo, check out this website for more information about the UMass graduate program. You can also checkout the graduate student handbook for much more information.
ECo offers thesis (research) and non-thesis (professional) degrees over 5 concentrations:
- Wildlife, fish, conservation biology
- Forest resources and arboriculture
- Water, wetlands and watersheds
- Human dimensions and environmental policy
- Sustainable building systems
The thesis/dissertation degree leads to the MS or PhD degree and centers around the completion of a major independent research project in addition to a modest coursework requirement. The professional degree leads to the MS degree and centers around a professional paper based on an internship/practicum in addition to a more substantial coursework requirement.
For more information on the OEB graduate program, check out this website. OEB offers both masters and PhD level degrees. Many of the same ideas about finding a faculty mentor and securing funding also apply to the OEB department. Interestingly, this department offers a list of faculty that have funding (or have funding pending) looking to take on students in the next academic year.