SUNY-ESF
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At the Animal Movement and Spatial Ecology Lab (AMSEL) we work on fundamental questions of how animals navigate, survive, and persist in complex and dynamic environments. Our approach straddles theory, methodological innovation, the deep exploration of empirical data, and a diversity of knowledge modes with an eye on human-wildlife interactions, conservation, and stewardship
What we do is summarized by the following equation:
\[{\cal W} = \rho_1 {\cal N} + \rho_2 {\cal X} + \rho_3 {\cal M} + \rho_4 {\cal P} + \rho_5 {\cal A} + ...\]
Where:
While each of us weights these in our own way in different ways, for all of us these coefficients are positive (\(\rho_i \gg 0\)), and the sum of them is something very large and very satisfying (\(\sum \rho_i \gg 1\)).
We are all colleagues, Whether you’re an undergraduate intern or a seasoned postdoc, your contributions matter. Everyone brings their own perspectives, knowledge and ideas. There are many projects underway at any moment, but the tools and approaches and philosophies we bring overlap tremendously, and we all help each other and inspire each other. What we accomplish collectively is so, so, so much more than individually.
Our work is collaborative - almost all of it is supported by and in service to partners, within the department and college, and also - often - wildlife agencies and NGO’s. We have responsibilities to those partnerships, to cultivate them, take things seriously, communicate frequently. The success of our lab has hinged on the high quality of the work - but also on strength of our partnerships, and the high level of esteem we maintain with them.
We are rigorous, we avoid short-cuts and do the best possible work. And we are creative, looking for and inventing out-of-the box solutions. But we are also humble; especially with respect to tremendous complexity and ultimate unknowability of our study subjects, and with respect to the knowledge that others hold about study systems and research tools (see collaboration above).
We value diversity enormously: intersecting differences — of background, perspective, discipline, and approach - only ever strengthens science. But to unleash the promises of that intersectionality, we actively work to build an inclusive environment.
We communicate directly and frequently - with collaborators, within our lab, and with me.
I am your advisor, mentor, collaborator, and advocate. As such:
I will always advocate for your success—intellectually, professionally, and personally.
We will schedule weekly one-on-one 1 hour meetings with every grad student (though travel and field work sometimes gets in the way). Especially in the first years, this keeps progress on track. At those meetings, we maintain a living Google Doc that tracks goals and action items. We close those meetings with clear expectations for what happens between those meetins
I will look for every opportunity possible to support your work financially, to find opportunities for personal development. Typically, I can only make research appointments one semester at a time. Given the current challenges of the funding climate (& - really - the way science is funded in general), it can be hard to be guarantee support for longer time frames. Historically, we have been able to keep students funded at levels that exceed the minimum stipend set for Master’s and Ph.D. students at ESF, but guarantees are hard to come by in our field.
Read and be aware of the ESF Environmental Biology graduate student handbook. Although I am here to help at every step, it is ultimatly the student’s responsibility to make sure that all the bureaucratic boxes are being checked (there are a lot of forms & deadlines & hoops).
As a grad student - throughout the year - you are (usually, technically) approximately a 50% student pursuing your degree, and 50% either scholar (funded Research Assistant) or educator (Graduate Teaching Assistant GTA). Your priority should be your thesis research. If you are supported as a teaching assistant or on a research assistanceship that is not directly related to your thesis work, be sure to give the research work the space and time it needs to progress regularly.
Attend (& collectively coordinate) weekly lab meetings (see below).
Engage with the lab’s intellectual life: give talks, ask questions, attend seminars, share papers, propose blog posts for the lab website, etc.
Pursue funding where appropriate: scholarships, fellowships, travel grants — and help others do the same. Eligible students should, for example, be applying for NSF Graduate Research Fellowships annually. And there are multiple more localized ESF-specific grant opportunities to pursue.
Schedule (at least) one full committee meeting per year to keep everyone apprised of progress.
Take care of your own well-being (see #8 below).
Lab meetings are where we learn from and with each other, and share our individual knowledge and experience. Everyone is expected to attend unless it’s impossible (for example if you’re in the field). These may alternate between Gurarie-only and larger joint wildlife lab meetings (e.g. with Frair and Cohen labs). They’re a place to share ideas, work through challenges, and build community. We’ll schedule these before each semester.
Ideally, coordination, scheduling and organizing structured content for the lab meetings will be done by a lab-member that is not myself.
Being part of this lab is about more than producing papers. It’s about learning to think deeply, work collaboratively, and grow into your own professional identity. I’m proud of the work we do, and excited to be on this tangled journey!