Joining/Expectations

Prospective Graduate Students

In the Bonner lab we value zest, and grit. If you are considering joining graduate school you should read this article, Five truths about graduate school– it is a good resource to understand the shift of mentality you will have moving from an undergraduate into a graduate student role.

The expectation in my lab is that students work hard toward well-thought out, practical, and justified scientific and career goals and eventually publish 1 (MS) or more papers in high quality journals. However, greatly exceeding these minimum expectations is strongly encouraged and will benefit all in the lab. We also greatly value a lab environment of co-working, positive attitudes and gusto in the field, as the aim here is to not only train future ecologists but to also enjoy ourselves while we’re at it.

Prospective graduate students should first read some of our publications to get an idea of the type of research we conduct and the approaches we take. Use these papers to stimulate questions you might pursue if you were to join the lab, Texas has 10 ecosystems and each have unique aquatic habitats- so your interests/questions can be vast here!

The Bonner lab is committed to providing an inclusive and supportive environment to trainees from diverse backgrounds, all are welcome here- you just have to like fish.

Then contact Dr. Tim Bonner and include in their letter:
1. an outline of possible research topics
2. a summary of research experience
3. a CV
4. a description of career goals
5. a list of relevant coursework (with grades)
6. GRE scores (if you have taken it)

Graduate students join the lab through one of the Department of Biology graduate programs.

Email: TBonner@txstate.edu