Join the Lab


A note on diversity and inclusion

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We are an equal-opportunity group, committed to enacting anti-racist and anti-sexist policies to promote inclusivity in our lab, the biological sciences, and the academy. We believe that black lives matter, women’s rights are human rights, and no life is illegal. Applicants from underrepresented backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and lifestyles are enthusiastically encouraged to apply to any of the positions outlined below.

 

PhD Positions

I recently started as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Chicago. I am recruiting new graduate students to join my lab in fall 2024. I’m looking for motivated students with broad interests in disease ecology, conservation biology, and/or epidemiology who are eager to undertake a multi-faceted PhD involving some combination of field study, molecular work, and dynamical modeling.

For recruits to start in AY2024-2025, I am particularly interested in students with a strong interest and/or background in international field work and a desire to spend extensive amounts of time in Madagascar. I am also interested in students with strong wet lab skills in molecular detection of viruses in biological samples (PCR + NGS) or serological detection of antibodies in field-collected serum. Finally, I am always interested in students with a background or interest in building and fitting dynamical, mechanistic transmission models to infectious disease data and/or matrix population models to abundance data.

If you are interested in joining the Brook Lab in AY2024-2025, I ask that you please fill out an expression of interest and upload a short CV or resumé at the form linked here prior to midnight on October 13, 2023.

Please do not feel pressure to spend exorbitant amounts of time on this submission–it is not intended to be an intimidating application! I am simply trying to make the graduate admissions process as fair and transparent as possible, and I believe that considering applicants in one, consolidated block will support this goal.

Formal applications are due to the University of Chicago Division of Biological Sciences on December 1, 2023.

Postdocs

All funded postdoc positions in my lab are full at this time. However, independent postdoctoral fellows are always welcome, and I am happy to advise any interested individuals on related fellowship or grant applications. I have previous experience as both a Miller Fellow and a Branco Weiss Fellow myself and would be delighted to help strategize an application. The University of Chicago Fellows program in the Biological Sciences (applications due annually in December) is one exciting opportunity specific to our university. Please feel free to reach out at cbrook@uchicago.edu if you are interested in developing a fellowship application to join the group.

Field Technicians

We recently solicited applications for a new Field Technician for the upcoming 2022-2023 year. Applications are now closed and will not renew again until spring 2023, for a likely September 2023 start date. For future opportunities, please note that this job is targeted towards American post-baccalaureate students eager to work with Malagasy PhD students on Ekipa Fanihy to catch and collect samples from wild fruit bats in Madagascar. I have found this to be a rewarding experience for both American and Malagasy students in the past, allowing both parties to engage in scientific and cultural exchange. Please see here for a job description of past opportunities.

Outside of my lab, if you are interested in finding research positions in the meantime, you may want to explore the following job boards or research opportunities: