Chesapeake Biological Laboratory

Graduate Education

Find great opportunities in the field and lab

The Chesapeake Biological Laboratory is home to a diverse, highly skilled graduate student body. Graduate study is founded on multidisciplinary training that emphasizes the intersection of basic and applied environmental sciences. Most of our students focus on problems associated with aquatic habitats (freshwater, estuarine, and marine). However, their research may involve anything from a study of molecular-level mechanisms of responses to stress to the dynamics of entire ecosystems.

Examples of recent interdisciplinary projects include: the ecology of snapping turtles and effects of PCB contamination on juvenile development and physiology; using molecular biomarkers preserved in sediments of the Arctic Ocean to investigate how the organic carbon cycle has changed with natural and anthropogenic climate variability; and probing the causes and consequences of white perch spatial ecology using chemical tracers to identify intrapopulation variability in habitat use.

Opportunities for research exist for students outside the bounds of the campus. Students are often invited to participate in field and laboratory research being conducted by other groups, exposing students to new techniques, equipment and problem solving methods. Our campus is highly interactive with students and faculty both participating in weekly seminars and brown bag lunches in addition to traditional courses. Our students often attend extramural events and fill temporary contractor positions with local organizations and collaborated with research groups from other academic institutions. Students are expected to attend and present their research at national and international conferences with funding available to offset travel and registration expenses.

Learn about all of UMCES' graduate degree programs.