Information for Prospective Students
**I am considering applications for new graduate students to join my lab in Autumn 2010.**
My research is based at UW’s Friday Harbor Laboratories on San Juan Island,
where I study how organisms perform within the physical constraints of their environment. I am particularly
interested in sessile organisms on rocky shores, where competition for space is often severe and thermal,
osmotic, and hydrodynamic conditions can be extreme. I study both plants and animals at many levels of
biological organization, from the mechanics of biological materials, to the persistence of populations,
to the characterization of the physical environment and how it influences biological processes. My research
draws upon the fields of biomechanics, ecology, and oceanography and typically employs a combination of field,
laboratory and modeling techniques. This work involves numbers, equations, and an understanding of underlying
physical principles; we use math and physics every day!
Students in my lab are members of the graduate program in the Department of Biology at the University of
Washington.
While my research activities are based at the Friday Harbor Laboratories on San Juan Island, I am on the Seattle
campus often and maintain a small lab there. I encourage students to take full advantage of the fabulous
resources these two campuses have to offer. There is no set formula for splitting time between campuses; I
expect each student to develop a schedule that fits his/her needs. I expect students to be strong, independent
thinkers who enjoy developing their own research projects.
If you have any other questions, feel free to email me at
ecarring@u.washington.edu. |