Join Us @EI_Lab (updated: Feb. ’24)
- Ph.D. students and Postdocs: The EI Lab is now recruiting interested PhD students for Fall 2024/25. Self-funded students are encouraged to contact Dr. Olugboji directly. Interested students need not have any prior research experience. A keen interest in the group’s research questions and a solid quantitative (mathematical and physical sciences) or computing background are highly valued. For more information on the Ph.D. program consult the University of Rochester’s graduate student handbook, graduate studies calendar, and other resources. PostDocs or research scientists with interesting research ideas should to contact the PI of the lab.
- Diversity Philosophy: Our group believes that incorporating diversity into all aspects of education leads to a richer, more valuable experience for all our members. In partnership with the David T. Kearns Center at the University of Rochester, we will support incoming students from under-represented populations. Our commitment as a group is to provide all members with the necessary academic mentoring, and an inclusive environment in the lab that will ensure they can navigate unique educational backgrounds, experiences, and cultural influences, as they adjust to the learning journey that is the Ph.D. education. See the recommended resources and content in the library below.
- Who we recruit: Interested Ph.D. students or Postdocs should contact the PI to discuss their interests further. Our group welcomes Masters students from the University of Rochester’s data science program who are looking for unique application areas in seismological data or image analysis (preferred concentration area: computational and statistical methods). There are exciting projects in applying parallel computing and Bayesian methods to extract information from large quantities of seismological data (consult a list of projects in observational seismology, journals in electronic seismologists, Seismological research letters, or IRIS products for a quick sampling of project ideas). Download the olugboji lab guide for students in our group (link on the right: it includes recommended courses, strategies for professional development, and additional ethics for research success)
- Things to consider: Before you apply, please make use of the resources at the end of this page to navigate the transition from undergraduate education: short-term goals, tight structure, and guided problem-solving of course-work to the unfamiliar, loosely structured, open-ended world of problem-solving in research and dissertation writing. In reaching out to me, I want to know the following:
- What is your educational background? Why are you interested in pursuing a research career in the Earth Sciences? What problems do you like to solve? Which of the research questions would you like to explore? Is there any publication (on this website or elsewhere) that interests you? Why does it stand out? I am open to discussing joint advising opportunities on interdisciplinary projects: see graduate studies calendar.
Undergraduates
The ideal student should be looking to work on projects that provide exposure to methods and tools used by computational geoscientists within the context of a larger scientific investigation (see open projects). Students with strong quantitative and computational backgrounds1 would be the most productive at the start. A highly motivated student can also be trained pretty quickly on the relevant tools. Nothing can replace motivation and passion, which leads to productivity. This kind of student would quickly move on to working on a larger project with greater independence. This project would form the backbone of a senior thesis, conference presentation, or scientific publication [lab alumni].
IRIS has paid internships (9-12 weeks) that can fund your research with the UMD seismology group (the deadline for this year is Feb 1, 2024, a link for application details).
Resources
- How to be a successful Ph.D. student [1] [2][3][4*][5]
- Lab Ethics and Research Success [1]
- Grants and Financial Aid [1][2][3][4][5]
- Ph.D. Diversity Scholarships [0][1][2]
- Earth Science Big Ideas [1]
- Hear from a geoscientist/seismologist [1][2][3][4]
- Why science is fun by Feynman [1]
- USArray: Geoscientists’ “Earth Telescope” [1] [2]
- Resources on How to Use EarthScope USArray Data [1][2][3]
- Internships and Post-Baccalaureates [1]
- Career resources [1][2]
* Personalize for University of Rochester
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References
- Keers, H., S. Rondenay, Y. Harlap, and I. Nordmo (2014), Resources for Computational Geophysics Courses, Eos, Trans. Am. Geophys. Union, 95(37), 335–336, doi:10.1002/2014EO370006.
- IRIS USArray Data Processing and Analysis Short Course (2016), North Western University, Evanston, Illinois
- Resources for Mentors: Hosting an IRIS Intern
- Scientifically Speaking: Tips for preparing and delivering scientific talks and visual aids [link]