A quick note for prospective students and postdocs

Applicants to the Graduate Program

I am almost always looking for talented and motivated students to join my group as Ph.D. students. That said, there are many more expressions of interest and applications than one group could possibly absorb. If you are interested, I encourage you to contact me. Know that I read all of these emails even if I am unable to respond to all of them. Contacting me in advance helps ensure that your application is thoroughly considered. It is helpful in applications to Duke to identify the specific research groups and advisers that you may be interested in, as that also helps ensure that your application is considered by the appropriate people. The statement of purpose essay is a good place to list those groups and advisers.

Duke Undergraduate Students

I usually have at least a few undergraduates in my research group helping with specific research tasks, doing independent study projects, or doing longer-term research as part of the Pratt Fellows program. Some of the more successful undergrad students in my group have even authored journal articles on their work. I always welcome interest from undergraduates, and you should feel free to contact me in person or by email with an expression of interest. Some projects will require some specific technical skills, but in my experience motivation and the ability to be a self-starter are the keys to success as an undergrad researcher.

Postdoctoral Positions

The availability of postdoc positions in my group is variable and changes fairly quickly. If you have a strong interest and highly relevant background, then I encourage you to contact me with an expression of interest. Please know, however, that faculty typically receive a large number of solicitations for postdoc positions, and it is essentially impossible to respond to all of them. If you send me something and I don’t respond, please know that I did look closely at your qualifications and determined that they were not an ideal fit to my group’s research needs at the time.