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Graduate Studies in Ecology, Evolution and
Systematics
The Australian National University
List of Potential PhD Projects
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Graduate Studies in Ecology, Evolution and Systematics at the Australian National University is a broad based program for students studying for research degrees (PhD, Master of Science and Graduate Diploma in Sciences). The Program aims to provide students with a diversity of opportunities and training in biological research and encourages graduates to take advantage of the rich and diverse community of biologists engaged in teaching, research, environmental management and policy formulation in the nation's capital. Dr Scott Keogh Email: Scott.Keogh@anu.edu.au |
Program Description
Postgraduate resources for students
based in BoZo
Workshops
Seminars and Discussion Groups
How to apply for admission and scholarships
Related ANU Web Sites
Other Related Web Sites
Campus Life
IMPORTANT LINKS
Current EES Graduate Students
Resources
and Advice for EES Students
The Graduate School
EES PhD Supervision Booklet
Who should be interested in Graduate Studies in Ecology, Evolution and Systematics?
Students studying for research degrees (PhD, Master of Science or Graduate
Diploma in Science) at the ANU are enrolled in Graduate Programs within the
Graduate School. If you are interested in a research degree in ecology, evolution
or systematics, this is the program for you.
What is it?
Graduate Studies in Ecology, Evolution & Systematics currently involves
about 50 students and 35 staff from both the Faculties and the Institute of
Advanced Studies at the ANU.
The Program is centred mostly in the School of Botany & Zoology, but we also have studetents that are based in the Ecosystem Dynamics Group and the Visual Sciences Group at the Research School of Biological Sciences and we have a number of students who are based in the various divisions of CSIRO across the street. However, participants also come from other sections of the ANU and there are joint ventures with other Graduate Studies areas.
The staff associated with the program have a wide range of professional experience including animal, plant and microbial ecology and evolution, behavioural, physiological and theoretical ecology, conservation biology, molecular evolution, population genetics, animal and plant systematics, information technology, environmental management, geography and prehistory. They have experience in many parts of the world including Europe, Africa, North America and the Pacific region as well as Australia.
Current students have a wide range of backgrounds. Most enrol for a PhD, but Master of Science and Graduate Diploma in Science also are offered. Graduate Diploma in Science courses are organised primarily within the School of Botany & Zoology where they are conducted along similar lines to an Honours year. Potential Graduate Diploma students should contact the BoZo Honours Convenor - currently Dr. David Gordon.
What does Graduate Studies in Ecology, Evolution and Systematics offer?
As a student, your participation in our program centres on original research,
which you must write up in a thesis. However, to help you develop as a scientist,
the Program runs a series of graduate seminars and discussion groups in which
students, staff and guests meet regularly to discuss current research and
major biological issues. The graduate seminars/discussions also provide you
with the opportunity to present your own research plans and progress in an
informal setting. You have the opportunity to interact with and learn from
a diversity of other students and staff with similar interests to your own.
From time to time we offer special seminars and workshops dealing with such topics as student-supervisor roles and responsibilities, effective oral presentation, writing papers and grant and job applications, and thesis preparation and examination. Non-credit courses in statistics and computing are offered every semester by the Graduate School.
How do I find a supervisor?
If you do not already know a potential supervisor or are not familiar with
the ANU then the best place to start looking for one is by carefully researching
potential supervisors on the ANU web site. Potential supervisors of students
enrolled in EES can come from anywhere in the ANU. Most
potential supervisors are based in the School of Botany and Zoology or are
affiliated with it in some way.
Once you have found a potential supervisor (or supervisors) that interest you, you should make contact with them to talk about the possibility of doing a graduate degree under their supervision. This is a critically important step because your application has very little chance of success without the support of a potential supervisor.
At the ANU, each student has an advisory panel consisting of at least one supervisor and two other members, who may be supervisors or advisers depending on the extent of their involvement with your project. Your supervisor has the main responsibility for overseeing your research project, and should meet with you regularly. Several times a year, you should also meet with your full advisory panel to discuss progress, try out new ideas and seek advice. Your primary supervisor must be a tenured member of the ANU academic staff, but the other members of the advisory panel can be untenured or come from outside the university. This is true even if a PhD student might be based at a non-ANU institution (such as the CSIRO).
How is your work assessed?
Your work for a PhD or a Master of Science is assessed by thesis. This is
usually evaluated by two or three external examiners who have not been closely associated
with supervising your work. An oral examination is sometimes requested by the examiners.
How do you select a research topic?
PhD students normally spend the first few months selecting and defining the
project. If you are not certain about a project area, look at what is already
going on in the Ecology, Evolution and Systematics Graduate Studies area and contact us
to discuss possibilities. Please note, however, that most PhD scholarships
are awarded only for three years, so projects must be started quickly and
carefully designed.
What facilities are available?
The Biological Environment
Within a few minutes to a few hours drive of Canberra you can be in grasslands,
semi-arid woodlands, sclerophyll forests, forest plantations, temperate rainforests,
alpine herb fields, freshwater lakes, marine estuaries, or mangroves and rocky
intertidal areas. Some projects are conducted further afield in arid, tropical
and sub-antarctic environments.
Research Facilities
Libraries
The ANU has one of the best library systems in Australia and there are several
other major libraries based in Canberra.
ANU
Life Sciences Library
ANU Library
The National Library of Australia
CSIRO Black Mountain Library
Field Stations
The ANU also provides biological research facilities at two well-equipped
field stations within 3 hours drive of Canberra.
Supervision - All research students must have at least one main supervisor and a supervisor panel with at least three members and up to five members (including your supervisor(s)). Your supervisor has the main responsibility for overseeing your research project, and should meet with you regularly. Several times a year, you should also meet with your full advisory panel to discuss progress, try out new ideas and seek advice. Your primary supervisor must be a tenured member of the ANU academic staff, but the other members of the advisory panel can be untenured or come from outside the university.
Office Space - All research students based in BoZo are provided with office space and a desk and chair that meet OH&S guidelines. Generally, students share offices with other students and office space is usually near the lab in which they work. Students also are provided with a lockable filing cabinet.
Computer support - All students have access to computers, full time internet access, email, commonly used software and IT support from the School.
General Facilities - Students are provided with all stationary and mail services free of charge and have access to photocopiers, fax machine, telephone, etc.
Advice for Students - Dr. Scott Keogh, the Convenor of the Graduate Program in Ecology, Evolution and Systematics has put together an extensive list of advice for postgraduate students on topics such as writing your thesis, winning grants and postdocs, and winning a job.
Research facilities - BoZo has a very good research infrastructure and students have access to the full range of research equipment available in the School of Botany and Zoology including our vehicle fleet (with 4WDs), green houses, animal houses, genetics lab, etc. You should talk to your supervior about what equipment you will need for your research.
Financial support for student research projects - To make the administration of other services and research costs easier, BoZo has a system in place where research students are allocated money for each year of their normal candidature. This money is administered by the student's main supervisor and is used to help pay for research expenses, vehicle use, conference attendance, as well as phone, fax, library and photocopying expenses. The amount is generous compared to most other departments at ANU and almost all other universities in Australia. Most supervisors also have research grants which they often use to provide additional financial support for postgraduate research projects.
Library - The ANU library is one of the best in Australia. Students can also use the National Library of Australia and gain access to the CSIRO Black Mountain Library.
What other training
is available in the Program?
EES and the Graduate School run a variety of workshops throughout the year
on topics such as how write grants, write theses, apply for jobs, introduction
to various statistical procedures, etc.
Are there seminars and
discussion groups?
Students and academic staff associated with EES participate in a wide range
of discussion groups.
BoZo Seminars
RSBS
Seminars
ANU
Events
CSIRO Entomology
Seminars
CSIRO
Plant Industry Seminars
**International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) applications are due on 31 August and Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) applications are due on 31 October** Students who win an APA or IPRS must enrol before 31 March. There are no firm restrictions on when you can begin if you have your own finance.
Australian students:
Potential Australian PhD students should apply for an Australian Postgraduate
Award (APA). The APA takes care of all your university fees and also pays
a living stipend (tax free) per year for three years for a PhD. Students are
able to live well on this amount of money in Canberra.
To win an APA, you must have a first class honours (or equivalent), good undergrad marks, good letters of recommendation and the support of a potential ANU supervisor as a minimum. Publications, awards and other evidence of achievement greatly help your chances. Many good students miss out. Students with second class honours occasionally are admitted but only if they have an exceptional record of achievement (such as publications). In general, it is extremely difficult and rare to win an APA at ANU to do a Masters because very few masters level scholarships are offered across the entire university.
APA applications are due at the end of October with decisions being made by early December for a start date early the following year. APA students must enrol by 31 March.
International students:
Unless you are independently wealthy and can afford to pay very large annual
fees (plus living expenses) or have scholarship money from your own country
to pay these fees, then foreign students must win a scholarship.
The International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) pays the full university
fees plus provides medical insurance and the cost of your airfare. A proportion
of the people that win IPRS also win an ANU PhD Scholarship which pays a stipend
to live on, but this is not automatic for IPRS winners. Students are able
to live well on an ANU PhD Scholarship stipend in Canberra.
IPRS scholarships are EXTREMELY competitive and many very good people miss out. Each year at the ANU several hundred applicants are in the running for only around 18 IPRS scholarships which are spread across the entire university. Because of this extreme competitiveness, students applying to do a Masters are almost always excluded because they are not sufficiently competitive. Thus, students who already have a Masters and are applying to enter a PhD program will generally have a better chance. People who win IPRS generally have a masters, an outstanding undergraduate and masters record, outstanding letters of recommendation, awards, strong support from a potential ANU supervisor and most also have at least one publication. Because not all of the IPRS winners also win the ANU PhD Scholarship to pay a stipend, you may have to find an alternative source of funding to live on.
IPRS applications are due at the end of August with decisions being made by early December for a start date early the following year. IPRS students must enrol by 31 March.
The application process
All potential Masters and PhD students interested in enrolling at the ANU
must go through the ANU’s admission procedure which involves filling
out an application and providing additional information. The procedure for
applying for scholarships is part of the same application form. It is possible
to apply for admission without applying for a scholarship.
There are several steps involved in the application process.
Step 1. Contact potential supervisors. You should carefully study the research interests of potential ANU supervisors and discuss your ideas with them. In order to gain admission to the ANU you must have the support of a potential supervisor. Unsolicited applications have little chance of success. If you need advice on which member of academic staff might be closest to your own research interests, please contact the convenor, Scott Keogh, who can point you in the right direction. While you may correspond with the Graduate Students' Section of the university over administrative matters, do not assume that such correspondence will be forwarded to the Program.
Step 2. Filling out the application. Once you have the support of a potential supervisor you can start working on the application. Click here to download the application package from the Graduate School Web site
Here is some advice on how to fill out the application (numbers refer to the numbers on the actual application).
PART A
1. You must tick if you are applying for both admission to the program AND
a scholarship, or just admission or just a scholarship only.
2. List any previous ANU applications.
3. List your personal details. Think carefully about your contact details,
this is the address the ANU will use for all correspondence.
4. Note your residential status. If you are a permanent resident, then you
might be able to apply for an APA rather than an IPRS.
5. List your marital status (for international students only).
6. List the number and age of any dependent children.
7. List your previous degrees and degrees currently underway.
8. List your English language proficiency. For English as a Second Language
(ESL) applicants, you must provide the scores for either the TOEFL or IELTS
test. Also list other language abilities.
PART B (most important section!)
9. For "Doctor of Philosophy in" or "Masters of Philosophy in" write "Ecology, Evolution and Systematics".
For "School/Centre/Faculty" write the department where your potential
supervisor is based.
Note if you wish to be full or part time (note that APA and IPRS applicants
must be full time).
Write expected commencement date (note that APA and IPRS applicants must enrol
before 31 March).
10. List your field of research (this only needs to be a broad theme). In the
box give a very brief summary of your proposed research. In addition to this,
you must also attach a ONE PAGE research proposal. This
should include references. We strongly recommend that you work this proposal
out with your potential supervisor.
11. List other supporting documentation that you have provided in the application.
It is very important that you provide good evidence of writing ability. The
best evidence is publications, but if you do not have any then you can include
your honours thesis or major essays you have written. I also strongly suggest
that you include a detailed curriculum vitae (CV) with your application. Even
though this is not asked for, it helps the committee by providing them with
a summary of your accomplishments.
12. List any awards or prizes you have won during your undergraduate or graduate
work (primary and high school prizes don’t really count for much).
13. List any relevant work experience. This can be very helpful if you have
done work that is in any way related to the research project you are proposing
to do.
14. List any ANU staff that you consulted about the application. You should
list Scott Keogh, the Graduate Studies Advisor.
15. Name your potential ANU supervisor.
16. Provide details of the two people who will provide letters of recommendation
for you. TWO LETTERS OF REC ARE REQUIRED. The application package includes
a single letter of recommendation form. You must photocopy this and provide
one to each of your two referees. They must fill out this form AND provide
a detailed letter of recommendation to which the form is attached. These letters
can be mailed separately OR if you can get them before you send the application
in, they can be included in the application as long as each is in a sealed
and signed envelope.
PART C
17. If you are applying for a scholarship then you must tick the appropriate
boxes. For APA applicants applying for the October round, you need to
tick the APA box. It is also recommended that you tick the boxes for the ANU Graduate School Scholarships and the ANU PhD Scholarships. For IPRS applicants, you must tick both the IPRS box AND
the ANU PhD Scholarship box. If you have won some other sort of scholarship
or if there is some other agreement in place, please provide details in the "Other scholarships" box. If you think you might be eligible for
one of the other scholarships that ANU offers, please contact Dr. Scott Keogh
to discuss.
18. List any Australian government or postgraduate scholarships you have had
before.
19. If you are not applying for a scholarship you must provide details of
how you will pay for your education.
20. Detail how you learned about the ANU.
PART D
Provide your signature and work through the checklist to make sure you have
done everything.
In summary…..In addition to your completed application form, you should also include good evidence of writing, a detailed CV, a one page research proposal worked out with your potential supervisor, and arrange for three letters of recommendation.
Related ANU Web Sites
School
of Botany and Zoology
Research School of Biological
Sciences
School of Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology
Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies
ANU Library
Other Related Web
Sites
CSIRO Entomology
CSIRO Plant Industry
CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems
Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research (ANBG)
Applied Ecology Research Group (UC)
CRC for Freshwater
Ecology (UC)
Campus Life
Information
for Students
The
Organisation
Directories
Postgraduate and Research Students'
Associations (PARSA)