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Current Opportunities

Summer 2023 update: I do not plan to recruit any new graduate students to start in the 2024-2025 academic year. Please check back in summer or fall 2024 to find out whether I am accepting graduate students to start in fall 2025. Undergraduate students who are interested in gaining research experience are encouraged to contact me.

If you want more opportunities: Check out the How to Find Research Opportunities section below to learn about more places to search for open positions in oceanography and environmental sciences.

Graduate Students

Please note: I do not plan to recruit any new graduate students to start in the 2024-2025 academic year. Please check back in summer/fall 2024 to find out whether I will be recruiting students to start in fall 2025.

Application procedure for prospective graduate students:
Students who are interested in graduate studies with my group should email me with the subject line “Prospective graduate student” and include:
A) a cover letter describing their motivation for pursuing a graduate degree in Dr. Manning’s group and at the UConn Department of Marine Sciences, how their research interests relate to the proposed projects or other topics within the scope of the lab’s research, and their past and ongoing research, academic, and work experiences
B) a CV or resume
C) unofficial transcripts from all degrees completed and in progress

I will respond to applicants who may be a good fit for the research group to set up a video call. Students encouraged to apply after completing an interview will be offered an application fee waiver.

More information on the graduate program and application procedure can be found on the UConn Department of Marine Sciences website.

For more perspectives and advice on applying to graduate school, check out:
So, you want to go to graduate school? Nail the inquiry email (Gill, 2013)
Prof. Casey Fiesler’s YouTube channel (lots of videos with advice for prospective and current graduate students)
Ten simple rules for choosing a PhD advisor (Jabre et al., 2021)
Thoughts on applying to graduate school (for prospective students and their mentors) (Duffy, 2013)
PhD advisor questions (Kuznetsov et al., 2019)

The very happy biogeochemistry sampling team after sampling the Baffin Bay Bottom Water in 2019!

Undergraduate Students

I am always interested in talking to undergraduate students who are interested in gaining research experience in chemical oceanography and biogeochemistry. If you are interested, please send me:
A) a brief email introducing yourself and describing why you are interested in working in my group, and what type of experience you are looking for (e.g., honors thesis or directed study for academic credit, full time summer employment, part time work during the academic year, etc.)
B) a CV or resume
C) unofficial transcripts from all degrees completed and in progress

Cara during her first undergraduate research experience!

Job ad from summer 2022

Postdoctoral Researchers

I encourage postdoctoral researchers who plan to apply for fellowships to contact me to discuss potential projects. Additionally, our department has a postdoctoral program called the Bucklin Scholars program, which is not currently accepting applicants but may have a new call for applicants in the future.

Interested researchers should email me with the subject line “Prospective postdoctoral researcher” and include:
-a cover letter describing their research interests and how they intersect with the work that my group does
-a CV containing contact information for three references
-a technical writing sample (e.g., published article, preprint, or draft manuscript)

I will respond to applicants who may be a good fit to set up a video call.

Potential funding sources include:
Ann Bucklin Scholars Program (for individuals from groups that have been historically underrepresented in marine sciences)
NSF Office of Polar Programs Postdoctoral Fellowship (open to US citizens, nationals, and permanent residents)
NSF Ocean Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship (open to US citizens, nationals, and permanent residents)
NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship (open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents who completed their PhD in Canada)
Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship (open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents who completed their PhD in Canada)

UConn Department of Marine Sciences

The UConn Department of Marine Sciences is located on the Avery Point campus in Groton, adjacent to Long Island Sound. The department’s graduate and undergraduate programs offer the intimacy and support of a small campus, coupled with the resources of a large, research-intensive public university.

Check out the video below to learn more about our department!

The Unlearning Racism in Geoscience pod in our department has recently created a new student resources guide and a resource map through Google maps that may be helpful to new and prospective members of the department.

How to Find Research Opportunities