UPDATE (10/18/2021): I do not plan to admit graduate students this cycle. Check back later for more updates.
As a student in the Zimmer lab, you will be associated with the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at University of California, Santa Cruz, which is consistently ranked in the top ~15 Earth Sciences programs in the United States. This department has approximately 50 graduate students and 10 post-doctoral researchers at any given time.
The Zimmer lab mixes field-intensive research with quantitative and computationally rigorous analyses. Thus, students must be willing to work in sometimes strenuous outdoor environments, carrying heavy equipment and working long hours (rain can fall all hours of the day/night!). Students must also be comfortable with quantitative methods of scientific inquiry. The Zimmer lab primarily uses R software for analyses, so experience or willingness to learn R, MATLAB, or other similar software is required.
I encourage graduate students who work with me to apply for outside funding, from such programs as the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. That said, if you are accepted to this program, we will work to ensure you have complete funding throughout your graduate tenure through a mix of TA and RA appointments.
Expectations in the Zimmer Lab (as adapted from Melissa Wilson-Sayres and Adam Ward)
I am looking for motivated, flexible, and independent researchers who enjoy collaborative and positive work environments. Graduate school is undoubtedly a serious commitment and you have chosen to pursue it to achieve a range of intellectual and/or professional goals. My job is to ensure your time in the Zimmer lab helps you achieve those goals in a supportive, stimulating, and rigorous environment. In return, I expect you to fully participate in the lab group, support other members of the lab group, and to be productive during your time (e.g. present at conferences, publish manuscripts, attend seminars, etc.). In an effort to make my expectations clear, I have prepared a list of my responsibilities as an adviser to my graduate students and a list of expectations I have of graduate students in my lab. During the application period, I encourage you to discuss these expectations and responsibilities with me to create a personalized set of student-adviser expectations.
My responsibilities as an adviser
- Work with students to identify and address research objectives through collaborative design of a thesis or dissertation project
- Provide financial support throughout graduate school, which includes travel support to at least one scientific conference per year (if presenting)
- Provide a supportive, constructive work environment that is collaborative in nature
- Meet one-on-one weekly to discuss progress and plans during early stages of graduate tenure, and biweekly/ as needed during late stages
- Consistently discuss future career goals and help facilitate achievement of those goals - your success is my success!
- Listen to concerns and feedback and be flexible during difficult times.
My expectations for students in my lab
- Be open, excited and eager to learn and collaborate
- Participate in lab group meetings and in departmental events, e.g. seminars
- Follow through on weekly meetings and short-term research plans
- Apply for outside funding (I will help you identify fellowships)
- Be a team player in the lab group (team work makes the dream work!) and don't be afraid to ask for help
- Be rigorous and serious with your science
- Submit 1 manuscript as MS student and 3 manuscripts as PhD student during your time in the lab (doesn't need to have been accepted by graduation)
As a student in the Zimmer lab, you will be associated with the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at University of California, Santa Cruz, which is consistently ranked in the top ~15 Earth Sciences programs in the United States. This department has approximately 50 graduate students and 10 post-doctoral researchers at any given time.
The Zimmer lab mixes field-intensive research with quantitative and computationally rigorous analyses. Thus, students must be willing to work in sometimes strenuous outdoor environments, carrying heavy equipment and working long hours (rain can fall all hours of the day/night!). Students must also be comfortable with quantitative methods of scientific inquiry. The Zimmer lab primarily uses R software for analyses, so experience or willingness to learn R, MATLAB, or other similar software is required.
I encourage graduate students who work with me to apply for outside funding, from such programs as the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. That said, if you are accepted to this program, we will work to ensure you have complete funding throughout your graduate tenure through a mix of TA and RA appointments.
Expectations in the Zimmer Lab (as adapted from Melissa Wilson-Sayres and Adam Ward)
I am looking for motivated, flexible, and independent researchers who enjoy collaborative and positive work environments. Graduate school is undoubtedly a serious commitment and you have chosen to pursue it to achieve a range of intellectual and/or professional goals. My job is to ensure your time in the Zimmer lab helps you achieve those goals in a supportive, stimulating, and rigorous environment. In return, I expect you to fully participate in the lab group, support other members of the lab group, and to be productive during your time (e.g. present at conferences, publish manuscripts, attend seminars, etc.). In an effort to make my expectations clear, I have prepared a list of my responsibilities as an adviser to my graduate students and a list of expectations I have of graduate students in my lab. During the application period, I encourage you to discuss these expectations and responsibilities with me to create a personalized set of student-adviser expectations.
My responsibilities as an adviser
- Work with students to identify and address research objectives through collaborative design of a thesis or dissertation project
- Provide financial support throughout graduate school, which includes travel support to at least one scientific conference per year (if presenting)
- Provide a supportive, constructive work environment that is collaborative in nature
- Meet one-on-one weekly to discuss progress and plans during early stages of graduate tenure, and biweekly/ as needed during late stages
- Consistently discuss future career goals and help facilitate achievement of those goals - your success is my success!
- Listen to concerns and feedback and be flexible during difficult times.
My expectations for students in my lab
- Be open, excited and eager to learn and collaborate
- Participate in lab group meetings and in departmental events, e.g. seminars
- Follow through on weekly meetings and short-term research plans
- Apply for outside funding (I will help you identify fellowships)
- Be a team player in the lab group (team work makes the dream work!) and don't be afraid to ask for help
- Be rigorous and serious with your science
- Submit 1 manuscript as MS student and 3 manuscripts as PhD student during your time in the lab (doesn't need to have been accepted by graduation)
