FOR CURRENT GROUP MEMBERS:
Information about computing, administrative, research, funding, etc. resources as well as our group expectations and code of conduct are available via our Ice Dynamics Lab Handbook. This living document is open for edits/comments. Send me an email if you would like a copy.
A career in the geosciences is sufficiently challenging without the need to navigate etiquette and unwritten rules associated with moving through the steps of academia. This page is meant to draw together resources and some advice for finding and creating opportunities for funded research at the undergraduate and graduate level, with specific resources for doing so at UT-Austin.
FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT APPLICANTS:
One of the most important things you can do to prepare for graduate school is to work on a research project as an undergrad. This might be as involved as a student-led investigation that ends up as a thesis or can be just volunteering in a research lab. This will help you immensely to decide if you even like conducting research, and is often a key factor for getting into graduate programs. Many research groups have funded opportunities to work in their labs (i.e. you don’t have to volunteer). You can also secure funding through scholarships and work-study programs. Many research positions are unadvertised as professors receive emails throughout the year from students. So, it is your responsibility to write to a professor conducting research of interest to you. This may be intimidating, but people do it all of the time and you can find lots of advice online about how to do this effectively (e.g., here and here). Be sure to read the website of the professor as well as some of their papers that you find interesting and get to know what funding might be available to you if the professor doesn’t have any - do this before you write to the professor.
Mechanisms for getting involved in undergraduate research at UT:
In the Ice Dynamics Lab, most undergraduate students work on existing remote-sensing data and work on either data acquisition or analytical data science projects, with a focus on data sets with complex spatial and temporal heterogeneity. This means that students leave with transferable skills in data science that can be used in a broad range of career options. Undergraduates in our lab have a range of different backgrounds in skills and knowledge before coming to the lab. Students are mentored by the group PI as well as a graduate student or postdoc closely working on a similar project. Experience with quantitative reasoning, computational skills, and programming are a plus!
FOR GRADUATE STUDENT APPLICANTS:
Here are three things that you should know about grad school in the geosciences:
(1) You will get paid. Not a lot - but you will not go further into debt and you are not expected to work other jobs.
(2) Before applying you need to contact a professor and develop a discussion with them directly about the possibility of a MS or PhD position in their research group. The Jackson School receives several hundred applicants for graduate admission and research advisers nominate the students that they would like to work with (and fund). You cannot guarantee that your application will be found among the many who have applied. If you really want to get in - line up a potential adviser before you submit your application. The other thing this does is it allows you to meet (even virtually) your potential adviser to see if this person is a good match for you!
(3) Experience is a huge asset. Students with prior research experience demonstrate that you have your past experience to fall back on before they invest in you, and it helps you to know what research is all about before investing further. If you are coming to the end of your undergraduate degree and have not had research experience, peruse the options in the above section. This is not a hard and fast rule for all labs or all positions, but it's a big piece a lot of the time.
The primary qualities I look for in graduate students is the ability to think independently, enthusiasm, drive for research, easy-going nature, and strong quantitative and/or computational skills. You don’t necessarily have to have these skills already, but a desire to learn them will be rewarded over your lifetime. I also look for a strong match between my research interests and those of any prospective student. You should therefore have thought a bit about why you want to pursue a MS or PhD in glaciology (particularly, when the field is not necessarily hiring at the pace of graduation rates). Specifically, I would like to know what aspects of glaciology are most exciting to you. What do you think is the most relevant research currently in glaciology? The first critical step is to develop a project that really excites both of us. I also want to know your career goals and what skills you would like to develop while in graduate school. By providing me a sense of where you want to eventually be, we can collaboratively develop your skill set and expertise to meet that goal.
A fairly big part of the research career is gaining funding for the research that you conduct. As such, I expect my graduate students to pursue funding opportunities to support their graduate research - even though UT-Austin has a guarantee of support. This demonstrates your ability to convince external reviewers of the value of your research and serves as a unique attribute to your resume. Further, external funding requires a well thought out proposal and budget, which helps to organize your research thoughts ahead of beginning a project. Reviews are critical, but important to making sure that as you move forward with your research, you are able to demonstrate your work is valid. Sources of funding for graduate students are listed here:
Seek mentorship to help position yourself for graduate admission from your peers and professors. Read all of the websites providing advice including this one. UT applications are due Jan 1, but fellowship consideration requires an earlier (Dec 1) application deadline.