To Prospective Graduate Students
I am always interested in talking to excellent graduate students interested in joining our lab. Our lab’s research is diverse, and I welcome students working on a wide variety of topics (see Research). I’m especially interested in students who wish to work at the interface of applied and basic science, and those with quantitative backgrounds who are interested in both theory/statistics and experimental work. For what it’s worth, I feel that Pullman and Washington State University are great places for students to live and do research.
While I typically fund students through my lab’s grants, I strongly encourage prospective students to pursue their own funding opportunities. This will provide you with you experience developing a research proposal while potentially funding your research idea. The NSF graduate fellowship is the primary program that funds students in their early-career:
If you are interested in working with me, e-mail me your CV and a description of what you’d be interested in working on.
To Prospective Postdocs
When I have funding for postdoctoral researchers I seek scientists who have demonstrated high levels of productivity and novelty in their Ph.D. research. I also actively encourage individuals who wish to do postdocs in our lab to acquire their own funding. I am happy to work with strong candidates to apply for fellowships and grants (links to some funding sources applicable to my lab are listed below).
In general, I give my postdocs considerable flexibility to develop and pursue their own research programs. I also encourage postdoctoral scholars to take a role in mentoring less senior members of my lab, including undergraduates. If you are interested in becoming part of my research team, I encourage you to email me with a cover letter stating your research accomplishments and interests, a curriculum vitae, and representative publications (dcrowder@wsu.edu).
- USDA NIFA Fellowship Program
- NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB)
- Smith Fellows Program
- Ford Foundation Fellowship Program
To Prospective Undergraduates
I am always interested in adding undergraduate researchers to my laboratory. Washington State University has several excellent programs that provide funding for student researchers, and I often have my own funding for students to pursue research. In general, my goal in hiring undergraduate researchers is for students to develop their own independent project rather than just assisting other researchers in the lab. Undergraduates under my supervision have been successful in publishing their research in peer-reviewed journals, and winning awards for excellence in research. If you are interested in working with me, or just meeting to talk about ideas, please send an e-mail with your CV/resume and GPA to dcrowder@wsu.edu.