We are recruiting PhD students for Fall 2025. The deadline to apply is Dec 15, 2024 through the Bren School.
Diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice underpin our lab's core values. We welcome new lab members from all walks of life, including and especially BIPOC and those from historically disadvantaged groups. We strive to create a more inclusive, collaborative, and diverse research community for those working on environmental problems.
Prospective graduate students
1. First, read about what we do--check out the research and publication pages and read a few of our recent papers to make sure this is the kind of research you want to work on.
2. Read more about the graduate program through which our lab takes PhD students: Bren School of Environmental Science and Management and its admissions process
3. Email Prof. Wu (gracecwu [at] ucsb.edu) with the following information:
Note: the Bren School offers two professional masters programs (MESM and MEDS) that is coursework intensive and culminates in a (potentially, research-based) capstone project. If you are a current MEDS or MESM student interested in designing research-based capstone project or interested in pursuing summer or part-time research opportunities related to our lab's work, please reach out to Prof. Wu.
Resources for applying to graduate school:
2. Read more about the graduate program through which our lab takes PhD students: Bren School of Environmental Science and Management and its admissions process
3. Email Prof. Wu (gracecwu [at] ucsb.edu) with the following information:
- How your research interests are aligned with our lab's research focus areas
- Ways in which your prior and/or current experiences have led you to or prepared you for graduate school (you can also just attach your personal statement if you already have that prepared)
- For prospective PhD students: Possible research topics you'd be interested in working on
- Your CV, which should include your GPA and any publications you're a coauthor on
- One or two writing samples (e.g., peer reviewed publications if you have them)
Note: the Bren School offers two professional masters programs (MESM and MEDS) that is coursework intensive and culminates in a (potentially, research-based) capstone project. If you are a current MEDS or MESM student interested in designing research-based capstone project or interested in pursuing summer or part-time research opportunities related to our lab's work, please reach out to Prof. Wu.
Resources for applying to graduate school:
Postdoctoral scholars
We do not have postdoctoral positions at this time. However Prof. Wu welcomes inquiries from prospective postdoctoral scholars who wish to co-develop a proposal to pursue extramural fellowship funding to work in our lab, e.g., from the below programs:
- NSF postdoctoral research fellowships
- Smith Conservation Research Fellowship
- UC President's Postdoctoral Fellowship (I can only co-advise; primary adviser needs to be a full professor at a UC)
- Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships
- Schmidt Science Fellowship
- L'Oreal USA for Women in Science fellowship (you must already be a postdoc to apply)
Undergraduate students
If you are an undergraduate student at UCSB interested in doing research on land use and spatial planning aspects of climate solutions (e.g., renewable energy, transmission infrastructure, climate smart agricultural practice, reforestation) there are four ways to get involved:
- Independent study course credit (you must commit to at least two, ideally, consecutive quarters at 2 units each)
- Senior thesis (please get in touch as early as possible fall quarter of senior year, but preferably spring or summer quarter before senior year)
- Apply for a scholarship through the Environmental Studies Program (e.g., Wenger, Manalis), which opens in late January every year.
- Paid undergraduate research assistantship (any openings will be announced below)
- Research questions and/or topics you wish to pursue--please be as specific as possible. This is so that I can assess whether your interests would be well aligned with the lab's.
- A short description of your software, quantitative, and/or GIS/remote sensing/spatial skills (e.g., programming languages, GIS, Microsoft excel)
- Your CV/resume
