Postdoctoral

None at this time.

 

Graduate Students

The Ranz lab is currently accepting applications from students who wish to pursue a PhD. We accept students either directly through the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, or initially as rotation students through the Cellular and Molecular Biosciences (CMB) and Mathematical, Compuational, and Systems Biology (MCSB) gateway programs.

We are looking for passionate and dedicated graduate students interested in conducting research at the interface between evolutionary biology and genomics. Areas of interest include gene novelty and its phenotypic impact, the evolution of gene expression, the genomics of sexual dimorphism, and the evolution of genome organization (please review our list of publications). Previous experience in any of the indicated areas is desirable.

Interested students should send an e-mail to José Ranz (jranz at uci.edu) with the heading Prospective Graduate Student outlining your research interests and include your CV. In addition, please examine the Graduates tabs of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department webpage. Our lab strongly promotes a diverse, inclusive, and equitable academic environment.

 

Undergraduate Students (Bio 199)

We are looking for Bio 199 student researchers interested in studying genome evolution from a multidisciplinary perspective. Our research interests lie at the interface of functional and evolutionary genomics in insect species. These include from the model organism Drosophila melanogaster to others relevant in conservation biology (the monarch butterfly) or with an impact on human health (mosquitoes). Our projects include from the characterization of the organization, function, and phenotypic impact of gene clusters to the intra-and inter-specific evolution of gene expression. The projects to join can be categorized in two classes. One class is more bench-oriented and might involve stock maintenance, genomic and total RNA extraction, tissue dissection, and phenotypic tests. The other class of projects is more computational oriented and might involve data mining, sequence analysis, and RNA-seq analysis. Although the tasks in this second class of projects make use of already developed software, previous knowledge in R is a plus. Our research should be of interest for those that aim at increasing their knowledge in any of these areas: genetics/genomics, data analysis, and evolutionary biology. Therefore, it is particularly suitable for students majoring in genetics, evolution and ecology, and computational biology.

Interested students should contact José Ranz (jranz at uci.edu) with the heading Prospective Undergraduate Student and attach a current copy of their transcripts and CV/resume.

Benefits of working in the Ranz lab:

  • Small lab size
  • Frequent interactions with your PI
  • Learn both bench and computational skills
  • Possibility of being co-author of a published paper
  • Work can be compatible with UROP and Excellence in Research

Requirements:

  • COURSE COMPLETION: BIO SCI 194S (Safety and Ethics for Research) and BIO SCI 97 (Genetics); GPA > 3.1
  • COMMITMENT: at least 3 consecutive quarters and ideally for 2 academic years
  • WORK HOURS: ~12/week on average
  • EVALUATION METHOD: 1) Professionalism (enthusiasm, work ethics, team-work attitude, commitment). 2) Quarterly research report. Students that show expectational performance might become coauthors in peer-reviewed articles.

 

Undergraduate Research and Mentoring Programs

Bio 199

Excellence in Research

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program(UROP)

Bridges to Baccalaureate

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP)

Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD)

Minority Science Program (MSP)

Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)UCI Chapter

California Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP)

Diversity Support at UCI