With the recent graduation of Dr. Meaghan Emery-Wetherell and Nick Famoso’s upcoming dissertation defense in Winter 2017, I (Edward Davis) find myself soon to be without any graduate students. I would like to encourage any interested students to apply to our program this Fall. We will begin considering applications on January 1, 2017. Look here for details on how to apply.

I am willing to take on students interested in these general areas of research:

• Processes of extinction as interpreted from geographic range change
• Processes controlling geographic range change through climate change
• Ecological Niche Modeling of mammal species through the Pleistocene and Holocene
• Evolution of morphological traits in large mammals (especially ruminant artiodactyls)
• Processes controlling the distribution of variation of morpological traits in large mammals across their geographic range

I am open to other broad-scale evolutionary questions as long as the study systems fit within my range of experience: Cenozoic terrestrial mammals. If you want to study basal synapsids, cycad evolution, or the distribution of traits in terebratulid brachipods, I’m afraid I can’t help you. Maybe that’s not fair: you will have to make a very strong case that I would be the best mentor in such a case.

When applying, please understand that your Statement of Purpose is the most important part of your application. You should address a potential research question you would like to investigate in your graduate career; you need not actually investigate this question, but we want to see that you have an idea how to structure the onset of a scientific study. Also, you might take a look at my Science Writing Pet Peeves and avoid them in your essay.

While I don’t put much stock in GRE scores, you should have scores that put you in the middle 50% or higher to be seriously considered. There are plenty of studies that show problems with the GRE, so I do not compare scores between students when making acceptance decisions, but low scores are hard to defend to the graduate school and department.

You should also be sure to get strong letter writers. Letters can often shed independent light on apparent weaknesses in an application, so having a conversation with your referees to suggest topics for their letter would be a good idea. I know I appreciate some direction from students who ask me for a letter: do you want me to discuss your class work, your research? Help them help you make the best application.

If you have any questions about our program or applying, please email me: edavis@uoregon.edu.