Statement for Prospective Graduate Students
I am interested in accepting 1-2 Ph.D. students per year over the next several years to work with me in the Department of Earth System Science at UC Irvine. The scientific issues that I most eager to work on with students include land use change, the global carbon cycle, measuring regional and global-scale changes in terrestrial ecosystem function, and other topics in ecology and earth system science that are described in the laboratory focus part of my webpage. I think these areas encompass some of the most important global environmental challenges that we face and ones where science can inform public policy.
Within the Department of Earth System Science, we strive to give students the freedom to design their own graduate research program. The facilities available for research within our department are outstanding, and include a supercomputer within the Earth System Modeling Facility and the Keck Carbon Cycle Accelerator Mass Spectrometer. I use both of these facilities in my research. The Department of Earth System Science moved in 2003 into a new building on the UC Irvine campus (Croul Hall) that was designed specifically for us! As a result, we have lots of space including state-of-the-art laboratories, offices, and conference facilities. My research group occupies both laboratory and office space within Croul Hall and closely collaborates with other research teams at UC Irvine, including those led by Goulden, Pataki, Primeau, Southon, Trumbore, and Tyler. The UC Irvine campus is located only 15 minutes from the Pacific Ocean (with great surfing, kayaking, diving, biking, and sailing opportunities nearby) and is about 50 miles south of Los Angeles (with great arts, including the Getty, LACMA, the Disney Concert Hall, the Norton Simon Muesuem, and the Huntington Library).
If you are interested
in working with me, please send me an
email and I would be pleased to answer more specific questions over the
phone or by email. Graduate
applications at UC Irvine are due on
January 15th for admission in fall quarter (September).
Global
Terrestrial Net Primary Production from the CASA Model
Beherenfeld et al. [2001] Science