Opportunities in the Capps Lab

Undergraduate Students: We typically have paid and unpaid research and/or technical positions in the lab each semester. You may inquire with me or one of my graduate students about your interests. I also mentor students by serving as the faculty advisor for internship positions. I am especially excited to mentor students that have organized opportunities with Athens-Clarke County, the Upper Oconee Watershed Network, the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, or the Tennessee AquariumWe have already hired our undergraduates for the fall semester of 2020, and will most likely not add additional undergraduates to the lab in order to maintain social distancing. 

Graduate Students: Thank you for your interest. I limit the size of my lab group to try to ensure that I have enough time and other resources to provide the financial support and mentoring my students need to be happy and successful in work and life. Therefore, at times, the size of our group is limited by funding. Students that obtain their own funding may be considered for positions, even when there are no positions advertised on this site. If you are interested, you may acquire funding by obtaining teaching assistantships or fellowships at the university (e.g., the Butler or Spencer Fellowships), applying for fellowships from outside institutions (e.g., the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Ford Foundation), or through collaborations with colleagues at the Jones Center at Ichauway. I am also happy to work with international students to apply for funding to support research and educational opportunities at UGA.

To work in our lab, you must:

  • Be interested in freshwater ecology and conservation
  • Enjoy working in a team environment
  • Have a strong work ethic
  • Meet the entrance requirements for the University of Georgia and be admitted to the program of interest in the Odum School

Students in our lab group typically conduct a combination of field and laboratory work and integrate both experimental and observational approaches to answer ecological and/or socio-ecological questions pertaining to fresh water. Though there are some funding sources that are available through UGA and the Odum School for competitive students (Fellowships/RAs/TAs), MS students will be encouraged and PhD students will be expected to pursue additional grants and fellowships within UGA and from other funding agencies (e.g., EPA, NSF, the Fulbright Program) during their graduate studies.

Contact Instructions: If you are interested in graduate study in the Capps Lab, please send Dr. Krista Capps an email with:

  • A two paragraph description of your research interests and relevant work/educational experience
  • One sentence describing your TOEFL scores (if applicable)
  • One sentence describing the degree you are interested in pursuing
  • PDF of your CV 
  • PDF copies of unofficial university transcripts

Open Positions

Doctoral Studies in Tropical River Ecology

The labs of Krista Capps (http://cappslab.ecology.uga.edu/) at the University of Georgia (UGA) and María Mercedes Castillo (https://www.ecosur.mx/academico/mmcastillo/) at El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Tabasco (ECOSUR) are recruiting doctoral students interested in studying community and ecosystem ecology of rivers in southern Mexico (Grijalva-Usumacinta Watershed). In particular, we are interested in understanding energy and element flow through inland tropical dry and wet forest systems and how the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of rivers and streams change in response to land use change (urbanization, agriculture), dam construction, and rising sea levels. Most likely, students entering our labs will support ongoing research within our teams; however, with our guidance they will also be expected to design and execute their own independent project.

Prior to applying please contact one or both of us (kcapps@uga.edu, mmcastillo@ecosur.mx) and provide us with: 1) a CV that includes your educational background and GPAs, 2) a one paragraph description of your past experience, and 3) a one paragraph description of your research interests. You may send the information in English or Spanish.

Applications can be submitted to either or both UGA and ECOSUR. Students attending UGA will be primarily advised by Capps with Castillo serving as a committee member and students attending ECOSUR will primarily advised by Castillo with Capps serving as a committee member. If international travel is permitted, students will most likely have the opportunity to participate in laboratory exchanges between the US and Mexico during their studies. At UGA, students will most likely be funded by a mixture of research and teaching assistantships. Therefore, applicants must have advanced English-speaking skills to be able to teach ecology at the university-level. At ECOSUR, applicants can be funded by a scholarship through CONACYT. Please carefully review the directions for applications below and please note there are very different due dates and requirements.

Required Qualifications

  1. MS Degree in ecology, environmental science, or related field
  2. Advanced language skills in English and Spanish (to attend UGA and ECOSUR, you may need to take an English language test, although required scores may differ)
  3. GPA during master studies higher than 8.0/10 for ECOSUR, or equivalent
  4. Desire to support international collaborations and be part of labs in the US and Mexico
  5. Willingness to live in southern Mexico (Tabasco) and work in southern Mexico (Chiapas, Tabasco) for extended periods of time
  6. Please note: GRE Scores are NOT required to apply to the ecology program at UGA

Preferred Qualifications:

  1. Experience living and working in Latin America, specifically Mesoamerica
  2. Experience conducting research in freshwater ecology
  3. Experience publishing scientific research
  4. Experience presenting scientific research in English and Spanish

To apply to UGA:

You must contact Krista Capps (kcapps@uga.edu) by September 1st to discuss the opportunity. All application materials are due December 1st annually.

Please review this website to understand the application process : https://www.ecology.uga.edu/apply-now/grad-program-process/

To apply to ECOSUR:

You must contact Mercedes Castillo (mmcastillo@ecosur.mx) by November 1st to discuss the opportunity. All application materials are due by the end of March annually.  Please review information about the doctoral program at ECOSUR in https://posgrado.ecosur.mx/posgrado/doctorado/doctorado-en-ciencias-en-ecologia-y-desarrollo-sustentable/  

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’

Doctorado en Ecología de Ríos Tropicales

Los laboratorios de Krista Capps (http://cappslab.ecology.uga.edu/) en la  Universidad de Georgia (UGA) y de María Mercedes Castillo (https://www.ecosur.mx/academico/mmcastillo/) en El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), Tabasco, México, están buscando estudiantes doctorales interesados en estudiar ecología de comunidades y ecosistemas en ríos del sur de México (Cuencas de los ríos Grijalva y Usumacinta). Estamos especialmente interesadas en comprender los flujos de energía y elementos a través de bosques tropicales secos y húmedos y cómo las características físicas, químicas y biológicas de ríos y arroyos responden a los cambios en el uso del suelo (urbanización y agricultura), construcción de presas y aumento del nivel del mar.  Lo más probable es que las personas que entren a nuestros laboratorios participen en proyectos de investigación en curso; sin embargo, se espera que los y las estudiantes diseñen y lleven a cabo bajo nuestra orientación sus propios proyectos de tesis.

Antes de participar en las convocatorias, por favor contactarnos (kcapps@uga.edu, mmcastillo@ecosur.mx) y enviar: 1) un CV que incluya sus antecedentes académicos y notas obtenidas en los estudios anteriores, 2) un párrafo describiendo su experiencia y 3) un párrafo describiendo sus intereses de investigación. Puede enviar la información en inglés o en español.

La solicitud para entrar al doctorado puede hacerse en UGA, ECOSUR o en ambas.  Las y los estudiantes que asistan a UGA serán dirigidos por Capps, y Castillo participará como miembro del comité, mientras que los estudiantes que asistan a ECOSUR serán dirigidos por Castillo, y Capps participará como miembro del comité.  De ser factible la movilización internacional, las y los estudiantes podrán participar en actividades de intercambio entre los laboratorios de USA y México durante sus estudios. En UGA, los estudiantes probablemente estén financiados por una mezcla de ayudantías docentes y de investigación. Por lo tanto, las personas interesadas deben tener habilidades verbales avanzadas en el idioma inglés para poder dictar cursos de ecología a nivel universitario. En ECOSUR, los y las estudiantes podrán recibir una beca a través del CONACYT.  Les agradecemos que revisen cuidadosamente las instrucciones que se presentan a continuación y por favor, prestar atención a las diferencias en las fechas de cierre y los requisitos entre las dos instituciones:

Se requiere:

  1. Tener una Maestría en Ciencias en ecología, ciencias ambientales o áreas afines.
  2. Habilidades avanzadas tanto en español como en inglés (para estudiar en UGA y ECOSUR, se requiere tomar un examen de inglés, aunque los puntajes requeridos pueden diferir).
  3. Promedio de notas de la maestría igual o mayor a 8.0/10 (ECOSUR) o equivalente.
  4. Interés en apoyar colaboraciones internacionales y formar parte de laboratorios en EUA y México
  5. Estar dispuesto a vivir en el sur de México (Tabasco) y trabajar en el sur de México (Chiapas, Tabasco) por periodos prolongados.
  6. Los puntajes del GRE ya no se requieren para participar en la convocatoria del programa en ecología de UGA.

Se dará preferencia a:

  1. Haber vivido y trabajado en Latinoamérica, especialmente en Mesoamérica.
  2. Experiencia llevando a cabo investigación en ecología de agua dulce.
  3. Experiencia en la publicación de investigación científica
  4. Experiencia exponiendo trabajos científicos en español e inglés.

Para participar en la convocatoria de ingreso al programa de doctorado en UGA:

Contactar a Krista Capps (kcapps@uga.edu) antes de septiempre1st para conocer las oportunidades.  La fecha límite para entregar todos los requisitos es el 1 de diciembre cada año.

Por favor, revisar este sitio web para comprender el proceso de solicitud de ingreso: https://www.ecology.uga.edu/apply-now/grad-program-process/

Para participar en la convocatoria de ingreso al programa de doctorado en ECOSUR:

Contactar a Mercedes Castillo (mmcastillo@ecosur.mx) antes del 1 de noviembre cada año para conocer las oportunidades.  La fecha límite para entregar todos los requisitos es a finales de marzo.  Por favor, revisar detalles del programa doctoral en ECOSUR en https://posgrado.ecosur.mx/posgrado/doctorado/doctorado-en-ciencias-en-ecologia-y-desarrollo-sustentable/