The Katz lab at Smith College/UMass-Amherst is seeking PhD students
to join projects that focus on biodiversity and genome evolution of eukaryotic
microbes. Work in the Katz lab aims to elucidate principles of the evolution
in eukaryotes through analyses of microbial lineages, and to assess how
these principles apply (or fail to apply) to other organisms. Currently we
focus on several interrelated projects including: (1) characterizing
evolutionary relationships among eukaryotes; (2) exploring the evolution of
germline/soma distinctions in eukaryotic genomes; and (3) describing the
forces driving the biodiversity of protists (mainly ciliates and amoebae) in
local environments (e.g. bogs and fens, coastal habitats). More details
can be found here: http://www.science.smith.edu/katz-lab/research/.
A graduate student joining the lab would have opportunities to improve skills
in field work, single-cell ¡omics, both light and fluorescence microscopy, and
bioinformatics. Interested students will be put in touch with current/past
graduate students who can share their perspectives on the Katz lab, the
UMass-OEB program, and Northampton.
Smith College is a member of the Five College Consortium with Amherst,
Hampshire, and Mount Holyoke Colleges and the University of Massachusetts
Amherst. Hence, Ph.D. students join the Katz lab through the Organismic
and Evolutionary Biology (OEB; http://gpls.cns.umass.edu/oeb) based at the
University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Prospective students are invited to email their c.v. and a brief statement of
interest to Laura Katz (lkatz@smith.edu), and pursue the formal application
through the UMass OEB program (http://gpls.cns.umass.edu/oeb/admissions).