Research opportunities
in Louis Gosselin's lab
Last update: December 2009
          Northern abalone
  
RESEARCH ASSISTANT OPPORTUNITIES

No research assistant positions avaible at this time.



ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES
Undergraduate
      Graduate

General

I supervise a total of 2-3 Honours and Directed Study students each year.  Interested students are encouraged to contact me to discuss opportunities.  The best time to do so is in the late fall or early winter semesters of your 3rd year - in other words 4-8 months before starting a project.  I may still accept students in late winter or spring.  Potential topics for student projects fall into two fields of research:

1. Marine invertebrate ecology and biology

Potential project topics: Causes of juvenile mortality; predator-prey relationships; impact of solar ultraviolet radiation on juvenile invertebrates; link between feeding preferences and distribution; links between the abundance of co-occurring species of a same trophic level, larval development and settlement cues.
Location: these projects are carried out at the Bamfield Marine Science Centre on Vancouver Island, usually during the summer months.

2. Ecology of invertebrates inhabiting saline ponds of the B.C. interior

Potential project topics: Diversity and distribution of dormant stages (e.g. rotifers, brine shrimp, nematodes, copepods); mechanisms of dispersal among ponds; "island" biogeography: relationship between pond properties and invertebrate species diversity.
Location: these projects take place in the Kamloops area; field work takes place in the diverse saline ponds of the region, including those of Lac du Bois Park.  Research is carried out during the summer or fall, depending on the project.  Lab work is carried out in my lab at TRU.

For further information:
Honours & Directed Study programs

Graduate opportunities in invertebrate ecology

I am always interested in hearing from individuals who wish to pursue an MSc or PhD on the ecology of juvenile marine invertebrates.  Most research work in my lab is carried out at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre and in spectacular Barkley Sound, on the West Coast of Vancouver Island.  Suggestions are welcome regarding potential research projects on the ecology of benthic marine invertebrates.  In addition, I am particularly interested in supervising research projects on issues such as:
-conservation of invertebrate species at risk;
-factors influencing the invasion success of marine exotic species in new habitats;
-role of the early juvenile stage in determining population abundance and distribution;
-relative role of specific mortality factors (predation, UV radiation, disease, etc.) on survivorship through the early juvenile stage;
-adaptive significance of early juvenile traits;
-ontogenetic transitions from the early juvenile to the late juvenile / adult stages;
-mechanisms regulating the abundance and distribution of early juvenile marine invertebrates.

Applicants holding a major scholarship (e.g. NSERC PGS) are eligible for a $1000 supplement.

If interested, please contact:
Dr. Louis Gosselin
Dept of Biological Sciences
Thompson Rivers University
Email: lgosselin@tru.ca

For further information:
MSc program
Kamloops information