Professor, Department of Biology, Acadia University,  Wolfville, NS, Canada  B4P 2R6 902-585-1354     902-585-1059 (FAX)  dave.shutler [at] acadiau.ca Homepage Résumé Research

Greetings, and thanks for your interest in me and my research.

If you are looking for summer work, much of what is below applies to you.  In particular, you may want to use a summer's work to accumulate data towards a degree (BSc (Hons), MSc, or PhD via Dalhousie).

To pursue a degree or to work in my lab, you should know that I currently have NSERC funding, so I have some money to support student research.  However, I always have more applicants than I can support, so unless you bring a scholarship or have an already-funded project (e.g., from a government agency), you'll have to compete for a spot in the lab.  My (and your) funding situation will determine how many students I can take on.

To help me decide whether I should take you on, it would help to have as much info as possible about you.  So, a cover letter that explains your interests (I don't expect you to have a clear project yet, just a general idea of the questions and organisms that turn your crank), a vitae providing references, and a copy of your (unofficial) transcripts would be useful.  Also, tell me what you hope to gain from a degree, what your career aspirations are, and a rough idea of the amount of funding you would need from me to finance your studies.  I am happy to accept this info in attachment files, emails, or hard copies.  If you email me and do not hear from me within a week, this may be because the spam-filters have prevented your email from reaching me.  You may have more luck using the phone or the postal service.

I am interested in students that are academically self-motivated, broadly trained in evolution and ecology, curious, in good physical condition, and committed to long days in the field.  It would be helpful, but not essential, that you have well-developed statistical and computer skills, and working knowledge of stats software (the Acadia computer network makes SAS & SPSS & Minitab available).

If we remain interested in each other after all this, ideally, it would be best if you could visit Acadia, or be present when I give a seminar somewhere, so that we can sit down and chat.  I recognise that this is not always possible, so the next best things are the phone and email, followed by regular mail.

A necessary hurdle for MSc wanna-bes is to make formal applications to Graduate Studies by 1 February.  A copy of MSc applications should be sent to our graduate rep in this department, indicating that you have been in contact with me, and that you have also applied to grad studies.  The rep will forward your application to me, and I will then be forced to make a decision.

If all these hurdles are met, I hope we can find some mutual research interests.  Lastly, if there's info you wanted but couldn't find on these web-pages, please lemme know.

Dave

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Updated Nov '08