As an advisor, I seek to promote scientific rigor, self-confidence and collegiality. As my mentee, I will support you in your scientific research and career goals to help you thrive as an independent scientist. Fostering a respectful and collaborative atmosphere in my lab is of the utmost importance to me, and I am excited about working with people that hold these same values!

July 23, 2024: Please note that I am currently NOT accepting graduate students to start in Fall 2025!

Prospective Graduate Students

I accept MS and PhD students through the Marine Biology Graduate Program (MBGP). The Marine Ecological Theory Lab mght be a good fit for you if:

  1. You are interested in ecological modeling as your primary research approach. This means that an MS student thesis will likely be entirely theoretical (i.e., mathematical analyses and computer simulations) while a PhD thesis may be entirely theoretical, or contain one or two empirical chapters. While my primary expertise is in modeling, I am highly supportive of my students pursuing a combination of lab and/or field research with theory. The MBGP is an excellent choice for students interested in interdisciplinary research: the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology have incredible lab facilities, easy access to field sites, and plenty of opportunities to collaborate with world-class researchers.

  2. You have a biology/environmental science (or related) undergraduate degree with a strong quantitative background (at least 1 semester of calculus, and ideally classes such as differential equations and linear algebra) or a degree in mathematics/physics/computer science (or related) with an interest in marine systems.

  3. You are broadly interested in working on marine systems and/or climate change impacts on populations. We have active projects addressing questions on coral reefs, oysters and Hawaiian social-ecological systems. I am excited about both basic and applied research questions, as well as general and system-specific ecological and evolutionary questions.

  4. You are team-oriented and excited to contribute your passion, ideas and skills to the lab and to the broader communities at HIMB and UH-Manoa.

If you are interested in applying to the Marine Ecological Theory Lab, please contact me (mcmanusl(at)hawaii.edu) with a description of your research interests, your research background, a description of your educational background (major, mathematics and other quantitative courses), why you want to work in our lab, your unofficial transcripts and a CV (including GPA).

Currently, I am only accepting graduate students that come with their own funding such as the NSF GRFP, NDSEG, NOAA Nancy Foster and NOAA/SG Population Dynamics. For candidates that are a very good fit for the lab, I would be happy to discuss and help you prepare fellowship applications. I suggest getting in touch by early fall the year before you would like to start graduate school.

Prospective Undergraduate Students

I am always happy to discuss potential research projects for undergraduate students. Please see the ‘Prospective Graduate Students’ section to see if you would be a good fit for the lab. For current undergraduates at UH Mānoa, we can apply for funding together (including for a stipend) through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. If you are interested in joinining the Marine Ecological Theory Lab, please contact me (mcmanusl(at)hawaii.edu) with a description of your educational background (major, relevant coursework), research interests, and why you want to work in our lab.

Prospective Postdoctoral Researchers

July 23, 2024: I have a 2-year postdoctoral position available! Please see the Opportunities page for more details.

I am actively looking for postdocs so please get in touch if you think our research interests align. I am happy to assist in developing fellowship applications to funding opportunities such as NSF Biology, NSF Oceanography, NOAA Climate & Global Change Postdoctoral Program, David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellowship and the Life Sciences Research Foundation.