Randall Hughes

INFORMATION FOR PROSPECTIVE GRADUATE STUDENTS

I welcome hard-working, creative, and motivated students who are excited about pursuing graduate studies in marine ecology and conservation. I am happy for students to work on ongoing research projects in my lab or pursue separate topics of mutual interest. Either way, my goal is for my students to develop independent research projects of broad scientific interest that can inform conservation and management strategies.

I strive to provide my students with both the intellectual and financial resources that they need to succeed. For that reason, I maintain a relatively small lab of 2-3 (mostly PhD) graduate students, 1 postdoc, and 1-2 undergraduates. Students accepted into the Biology Department at FSU are offered financial support via teaching and research assistantships. Despite this support, I expect my students to seek independent funding for their research for 2 reasons: 1) External funding allows greater flexibility and time for pursuing research; and 2) The ability to garner research funding is a critical component of success as a scientist, whether your goal is academia, government, NGO, or private sector employment.

Because of our small numbers, and because there are times when we will need to all collaborate on the same project, lab dynamics and cohesion are important to me. I am most interested in students who not only have a strong work ethic and desire to conduct research but also an ability to communicate effectively and work with others. Prior to a decision by you or me, it will be important for you to visit FSUCML and my lab to make sure we are a good fit.

If you are interested in talking with me about graduate opportunities in my lab, please:

1.  Contact me via email with the following information -
GPA and GRE scores, along with relevant coursework
Research experience
Research interests
2.  Go to the FSU Biology website for application information.
3.  Begin thinking about potential independent funding sources for your research.  Some potential ones include -
National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships
EPA STAR Fellowships For Graduate Environmental Study
Fastweb Scholarship Search
Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships
Florida Sea Grant Fellowships