Environmental & Evolutionary Biology Ph.D.

Another Degree of Success
Environmental & Evolutionary Biology (Ph.D.)

Environmental & Evolutionary Biology (Ph.D.)

“I love everyone in our department and the support system is amazing. One of the best things you can have in grad school is support from every tier, from the Graduate School to your fellow students.”

Leading the way: Meet Juita Martinez

Our doctorate in biology program emphasizes research in environmental and evolutionary biology, with specialization in marine biology, ecology, molecular studies, and cell biology.

This program prepares you for the highest levels of scholarship and career opportunities in both academia and in research-related agencies and industries.

The department offers facilities and equipment to support graduate research and works closely with several research laboratories and organizations.

The department is very research-focused, securing $2 million in funding every year for research, instruction, and infrastructure. All of our doctoral students design and conduct their own research, analyze data, give presentations on their research, write manuscripts for publication in renowned biology journals, and teach in the classroom.

Related Programs

Bachelor of Science in Biology

Master of Science in Biology

Biology at UL Lafayette

UL Lafayette student examining specimens

Robust Research Agendas

Join one of the largest biology graduate programs on the Gulf Coast. Areas of research range from biomedical to environmental and evolutionary biology, and field research is conducted throughout the Americas, including the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Panama, North Atlantic, and Amazon Basin.

Top-Class Facilities

Take advantage of facilities that support research and education, including special collections and access to resources such as the Ecology Center, Microscopy Center, and LUMCON.

Recognized Expertise

Work with the highly research productive community of scholars in our Department of Biology. Each year, faculty secure an average of $2.4 million in grants per year and produce an average of 47 peer-reviewed journal publications.

Unique Collaborations

Benefit from state and federal partners, including the USGS National Wetlands Research Center and the NOAA Estuarine Habitats and Coastal Fisheries Center to expand your research and training opportunities.

More about UL Lafayette's Research Park

Application Information

Application Deadline

Fall: February 1

Spring: October 1

Funding

Funding opportunities such as assistantships and fellowships can help pay for your degree while letting you earn valuable experience for your career.

Learn more about funding opportunities

Graduate Coordinators

Dr. Kelly Robinson (Admissions)
Phone: 337-482-5705
Email: kelly.robinson@louisiana.edu

Dr. Brad Moon (Post-Admissions)
Phone: 337-482-5662
Email: brad.moon@louisiana.edu

Biology According to Grad Students and Faculty

Sharing Research Becoming the Expert Working Together Becoming Colleagues

Sharing Research

“My favorite experience at UL Lafayette has been the ability to attend and showcase my research at conferences all over the US and Canada. I relish the moments that I get to talk about research I’m doing that no one else has done before.”

Latonya Jackson, environmental and evolutionary biology Ph.D. alum

Becoming the Expert

“I’ve felt very enriched personally and professionally by becoming colleagues with everyone in my department. I’ve learned a lot more about science and how to conduct yourself as a scientist, as well as a lot more about topics that, before coming into the department, I had little or no interest in but that now fascinate me. I’ve been able to weave other people’s ideas and expertise into my own work. It’s just a very rich pool of experience and resources that I can draw from within this department.”

Eric Tobin, environmental and evolutionary biology Ph.D. alum

Working Together

“For me, one of the nicest parts of being a research professor is getting to work closely with graduate students, advancing scientific knowledge, and building lifetime collegial relationships. Working together to discover something that no one has ever seen before is so frustrating and exhilarating that it creates a unique bond. Simply irreplaceable.”

Dr. James Albert, professor in the department of biology

Becoming Colleagues

“Above all, I want my students to feel like they are respected as apart of the team, co-investigators with me, learning from me, but comfortable in asking me questions and challenging the status quo. I want to be there to support them and answer questions, but also help them gain independence as a research team member.”

Dr. Karen Smith, associate professor in the department of biology

Careers in Biology

Justin Lesser, Ph.D

“I’ve learned so much about how to analyze and look at the data I collect, and I’ve also learned a great deal about planning a field season and leading a research team. The experiences I’ve had supervising and working with undergraduate researchers will be really helpful for my future as a principal investigator in my own research lab."

Class of 2021

Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Vermont

Meet Justin Lesser, Ph.D

Jobs in Biology

Professor
NSF Postdoctoral Researcher
Ecologist

Program Requirements

Application Requirements
In addition to the , you must also submit:

Graduate Assistantship Application
Resume or Curriculum Vitae
Identify an Advisor
Official GRE scores

A minimum of 72 semester hours of credit beyond the bachelor's degree is required; at least 48 of these hours must be in non-dissertation course work.

If you are entering the program with a master's degree, you must complete at least 24 hours of non-dissertation course work. At least 9 credits must be in environmental biology and 9 in evolutionary biology and a minimum of 12 hours must be at the 500 level.

You will take 1 hour of Colloquium in Biological Science each semester you are in residence; this course does not count toward the credit hours required for the degree.

You are required to complete an original research project and formal dissertation under the guidance of a graduate faculty member and advisory committee. Before you apply, you'll need to get in touch with a faculty member under whom you would like to work and research.

You must submit a manuscript as the first author to an appropriate journal prior to the final examination.

Learn more about the Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, PhD curriculum in the

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