marine biology/genomics students

larina+jeremy

looking for a job or a phd for next year in marine biology or genetics/functional genomics. anyone else out there as geeky as i am? lol anyone have any hints/tips

zaneopal

Well if you're looking for a PhD for next year, you're gonna be out of luck, since yesterday was the decision day for grad students for the upcoming year.

If you want to get a doctorate, I would suggest taking some time to work in a lab to see if you even like research. Ask around colleges to see if any labs need lab techs (often times these will not be posted, but spread by word of mouth) or start following job boards on the professional societies for genetics or marine biology.

zaneopal

Well, you didn't say that you already had lab experience and a masters in your first post, so I think you can understand why I said that.

chipypony

if you are looking to start this fall then you are out of luck unless you are willing to pay...but if by next year you mean 2011, then you have plenty of time. I don't know when you got your Masters but if it was too long ago you might want to look to see if your GRE's are still valid

LauraT25

If there are particular schools you are interested in, you aren't necessarily out of luck - I know many programs that bend the rules for students who miss the deadline.  I can't guarantee that you're a desirable enough candidate, but if you show a lot of dedication, you have an excellent resume and recommendations, and have a valid reason for not applying sooner, you may find some doors open for you.  It can't hurt to contact the programs, if there are any.

Also, I don't know where you live, but I know by me (Baltimore) there are a few options for marine bio jobs, such as COMB, which is right near the National Aquarium, and even more genetics jobs (UMBI, NIH, NCBI).  I have two friends in Marine Biology-type PhD programs, one at Duke and one at UCSD (I think...one of the UCs), and basically they just looked at what programs were available and sent in their applications.  As for genetics/genomics, there are a ton of programs - there are enough that you can just kind of pick an area you want to live in, and then look for the schools with interesting research there.  It's also a good idea to ask your previous research advisor for advice on where to apply, because he/she knows what kind of work you did in the past and where the best researchers in your field are.

Even if it's too late for this year, try to get a science-related job for the upcoming year (like an entry-level lab tech, I did it for a year) so that your resume reflects your interests, and apply for 2011.

Jackie3886

My department is in the process of hiring a molecular toxicologist for the next academic year.  I went to the research presentations of all of the candidates and got a chance to meet with most of them.  At least 3 out of the 4 candidates had very strong genomics backgrounds from what I could tell.  As others have mentioned, you are probably past the deadline to start a PhD program in the fall for most places, but you could take a couple classes as a non-matriculated student and willing to pay for it out of your own pocket for that semester.  Let me know if you would want more information.

larina+jeremy

thanks for all the advice! much appreciated