The Whitney Lab welcomes graduate students looking for intensive research training in the intimate environment of a modern marine lab. Our internationally renowned faculty specializes in using marine animals to address fundamental questions in biomedical research. The simplicity, unusually-large cell size, and transparency of many aquatic animals can provide enormous experimental advantages over traditional lab animals such as rats and mice - allowing us to perform experiments that are technically not possible with more-derived animals.
Check out our faculty websites and videos to get a better flavor of the questions we are pursuing and the techniques we use. If you find something that interests you, get in touch with that faculty member directly. He or she will then work with you to guide you through the application process.
Students doing their dissertation research with Whitney faculty must enroll in one of three graduate programs at the University of Florida: the Biology Department, the Interdisciplinary Program in the School of Medicine, or the Dept. of Microbiology and Cell Science in the College of Agriculture.
Ph.D. students typically spend one to two years at the Gainesville campus completing coursework and fulfilling teaching requirements. During this period, students maintain contact with the Laboratory and their major professor through meetings, progress reports, seminars, and summer research. During the time they are based in Gainesville, Whitney graduate students receive free housing when they are at the lab.
Students then move to the St. Augustine area to complete their research with a Whitney faculty member while maintaining contact with the faculty and students on the main campus. Additional course requirements (e.g. seminars) are typically fulfilled at Whitney or by video conferencing.
Whitney graduate students qualify for all UF grad student health insurance and other benefits, and for all campus fellowships, assistantships, and other awards.
So, take a good look at the unique opportunities at the Whitney Lab. The Whitney Lab will provide you with excellent doctoral training. We have an outstanding and very approachable faculty pursuing significant questions in the biomedical sciences, state of the art equipment, a very relaxed but intellectually-rich atmosphere, and a wonderful location.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!
