Dear Prospective Graduate Student for fall 2010,
Thanks for your interest in my research and the Ph.D. program in
Environmental Studies at the
My research is motivated by an interest in understanding factors limiting
ecosystem recovery and using this information to restore ecosystems. I have
worked in a broad array of ecosystems, including eastern hardwood forest, neotropical rain forest, and
various California ecosystems (coastal prairie, riparian forest, and
chaparral). I try to have a balance of graduate students in my lab who work in
tropical and
I expect a great deal of independence from my graduate students, but also make every effort to be available for advice. I encourage students to pursue their own research questions within the realm of my interests. I expect my students to have a general prospectus for their research by the spring following their entry into the program and to begin preliminary fieldwork during that summer. Thus far, my students have been very successful in obtaining their own funding through fellowships and grants; some funding is available through the University in the form of fellowships, TAs and RAs. I consider taking on a graduate student as a serious time and financial commitment on my part and will work with students to obtain funding. If students chose to work in ecosystem in which I currently do not have active research then it is more difficult for me to provide funding.
I currently serve as primary advisor to four doctoral students at UCSC (see list), and serve on the committees of a number of other students. I have graduated six Ph.D. students who are currently employed in a wide range of positions (see list). All my students have taken 5-6 years to complete their degrees.
I welcome inquiries from prospective graduate students for fall 2010, but am unsure how much funding will be available given recent budget cuts to the University of California. I am much more likely to accept a student who can provide some of their own funding. I am particularly interested in students who are interested in working on questions at the interface of restoration and climate change. If you want to apply to work with me in the tropics then you must have prior research experience in the tropics, given the logistical obstacles to working there. I feel strongly that it is important to train students from tropical countries. Because of the fee structure of the University of California, however, it is difficult for me to accept doctoral students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents without some of their own financial support. I welcome visiting graduate students from other countries, and in the past couple years have hosted doctoral students from universities in Brazil, Costa Rica, and France for short-term visits.
The graduate program in Environmental Studies at UC Santa Cruz is interdisciplinary. In order to be admitted to the program students should have completed courses in ecology, economics, policy, and statistics. Graduate coursework covers the areas of conservation biology, agroecology, and environmental policy and institutions. Personally, I require my students to have a strong background in ecology and requisite courses in other sciences and math. It is essential that my students have previous independent research experience as we only have a Ph.D. program. We interact extensively with students and faculty in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Earth Sciences Departments on campus through seminars and collaborative research projects, but the Environmental Studies required coursework is quite distinct to our program and prospective students should seriously consider if this type of training is appropriate for their career goals. Although I am strongly committed to interdisciplinary collaborations to explore policy mechanisms to implement restoration and conservation, I am primarily qualified to train students as applied ecologists and do not accept students whose primary focus is on policy questions or environmental education.
If you are interested in applying to the Environmental Studies Program at UCSC under my sponsorship, I ask that you first send me a letter with the following information: (1) a description of your academic and work background, with particular reference to your past research experience; (2) what types of research questions (the more detail the better) you plan to address in graduate school; (3) why you want to do a Ph.D. and your ultimate career goals; and (4) why you are interested in the Environmental Studies Program at UCSC and working with me in particular. This information is helpful to me in determining whether I would be an appropriate advisor for you. Generally, it is helpful both to me and serious prospective students if they visit before applying to the program.
I hope this answers your questions regarding working with me as a graduate student. If you have specific questions about the program or the admissions process you should contact our graduate advisor at (831)-459-4836.
Cordially,
Karen Holl