Joining the Lab

For Prospective Graduate Students: My expertise and research interests are centered on the process of local adaptation in plants, and include the subdisciplines of Plant Evolution, Genetics, Physiology and Population, and Quantitative Genetics. Students will be required to take classes and training in those areas, but will be encouraged to develop their own research interests and study systems.

The limiting factor for accepting students to my lab is funding, both for tuition and stipend. At CSU the University charges the professors more for international students, thus the competition is higher. International students with funding in hand from their home country are encouraged to apply.

If you are interested in joining the lab send me an e-mail at jkmckay@colostate.edu. Please briefly describe your background, major research interests and why you are interested in working in my lab.

How to apply:

I can take students from two cross-departmental graduate groups: Graduate Degree Program in Ecology and the Program in Molecular Plant Biology. These are separate entities from the department to which I belong, Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management. These two graduate groups differ primarily in their core courses in the first year. We can discuss which program might be best for you; depending on your interests as well as funding possibilities.