Home » Join the Lab

Join the Lab

We are a lab of creative, highly motivated ecologists addressing fundamental and applied questions in bee biology and pollination. We maintain an active supportive and diverse environment to promote original science, professional and personal development

PostDocs

The lab regularly includes a set of highly motivated and creative postdocs working on collaborative projects. Postdocs often come to the lab through jointly prepared fellowship applications (USDA, NSERC, various conservation fellowships) as well as through positions on lab grants. For the latter, Neal regularly advertises positions through Twitter and various job boards. If you are interested in collaborating with Neal on a fellowship proposal, please email him. 

Graduate Students

Information for prospective graduate students:

Neal is considering new graduate students for 2024.

The Williams lab accepts primarily students interested in pursuing PhDs. Most students enter the lab as members of the Graduate Group in Ecology (GGE) or Entomology Graduate Group (ENT) and occasionally through the Animal Behavior Graduate Group (ABGG). Co-advising through the Population Biology Graduate Group (PBG) is also possible with a co-mentor who is an active member of that group. 

If you are interested in joining the lab, please email me directly. Include a brief statement of your interests for graduate work, where you are now and a little about your path along the way. If you have a CV please also include it. I encourage prospective students to contact me early to allow time to discuss interests and potential visits. Deadlines for applications vary among years and graduate programs, but they are generally December to early January of the preceding academic year. I encourage you to reach out to current graduate students to get insight to lab culture, their experiences in the lab and perspectives on the different graduate programs.

Undergraduate research

Information for prospective undergraduate students:

Our group values the participation of undergraduates who are excited to contribute to research and scholarship in a variety of forms. We have 1-3 students in the group in most years. 

Contact Neal Williams directly via email.

A useful Undergrad example (from UC Santa Cruz) on how to “cold email” a professor about research.