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Department of Environmental Biology
Graduate Study in EFB

Your decision to enter graduate study is a major step, and you owe it to yourself to do it right. Here we explain the key steps for applying to the graduate program in the Department of Environmental Biology.

The faculty of Environmental Biology conduct their research in a number of research areas of focus.  Applicants interested in our graduate program should read about the areas that interest them most, and then reach out to faculty associated with those areas to learn more. Faculty with nationally and internationally recognized expertise recommend acceptance of students, help their students define the scope of their graduate research, , and guide them through a course of study appropriate to student goals and aspirations. Most students develop a degree of depth and specialization in at least one large taxonomic group, such as plants, fungi, vertebrates, or insects.

Research Areas 

M.S., M.P.S. or Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Biology may focus in one of several areas:

Additional information on each of these research areas is available by telephone, email or written request to any of the professors listed. Programs that bridge two or more areas may be developed by the student and steering committee.

  • Graduate Handbook (PDF, complete information on graduate study in the Department of Environmental Biology)

Funding Opportunities

In addition to graduate assistantships, various awards are available to graduate students in environmental and forest biology. These include the Alexander Wetlands Award, the Betty Moore Chamberlaine Award, Henrietta and John Simeone Fellowship in Forest Entomology, the Robert L. Burgess Graduate Scholarship in Ecology, the Josiah L. Lowe – Hugh Wilcox Graduate Fellowship, the Leroy C. Stegeman Award, and the Robert Zabel Award. These awards are decided upon by a department committee selection process.

Graduate Awards & News

  • Michael Zarfos Whalen (Ph.D. student)
    • Robert L. Burgess Outstanding Doctoral Scholar Award - "Burgess Scholar" - SUNY ESF EFB. $800. 2020.
    • Grant supporting open access publication in Plant and Soil. New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. $3,760. 2019.
  • Hajar Faal-Mohammad-Ali
    • Gerald N. Lanier Memorial Award in Forest Entomology and Chemical Ecology ($450). 2020.
    • ESF Graduate Student Travel Grant ($400) Service Award, NY State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation FORCES program. 2019.
    • Alumni Association Student Grant ($250). ESF Graduate Student Travel Grant ($100). The Edna Bailey Sussman Foundation Internship ($7350) + Exceptional Merit Award ($2650). 2018.
    • Alumni Association Student Grant ($500). Gerald N. Lanier Memorial Award in Forest Entomology and Chemical Ecology ($550). ESF Graduate Student Travel Grant ($400). Graduate Student Association Spring 2017 Research Grant ($490). 2017.
    • Savel B. Silverborg Memorial Scholarship Award in forest pathology ($1140). ESF Graduate Student Travel Grant ($500). 2016.
  • Jordon Tourville
    • Received the Botanical Society of America Graduate Student Research Award as well as the New York Flora Association Annual Research Award. 2019.
  • Teresa Rose Osborne (Ph.D. student, R. Rundell, mp)
    • Attended the annual national meeting of the American Malacological Society (held virtually this year). She earned an Honorable Mention in the Constance Boone student presentation competition, which comes with a $500 award.
    • Wilford A. Dence Fellow, EFB Dept. fellowship. 01/2020.
    • LeRoy C. Stegeman Endowment in Invertebrate Ecology Award Winner, EFB Dept. award. 05/2019.
    • Graduate Student Travel Grant for travel expenses to participate in the Evolution 2019 meeting of American Society of Naturalists, Society for the Study of Evolution, and Society of Systematic Biologists. 04/2019 - 06/2019.
    • Nominee, Graduate Student Association Excellence in Teaching Award. 04/2019.
    • Office of Instruction and Graduate Studies Graduate Student Travel Grant for travel expenses to participate in the Evolution 2019 meeting of American Society of Naturalists, Society for the Study of Evolution, and Society of Systematic Biologists. 02/2019 - 06/2019.
    • Graduate Student Association Senate Research Grant for equipment required for dissertation fieldwork expenses in Belau (Republic of Palau, Oceania). 04/2018 - 09/2018.
    • Alumni Association Grant for travel between islands of Belau (Republic of Palau, Oceania). 12/2016 - 08/2018.
    • Graduate Student Travel Grant for travel expenses to participate in the International Biogeographic Society 8th Biennial Conference. 10/2016.
    • Conchologists of America Academic Grant for dissertation fieldwork expenses in Belau (Republic of Palau, Oceania). 05/2016 - 08/2018.
  • Toby Liss, (Ph.D. student, D. Leopold, mp)
    • Received the Phipps Botany in Action Fellowship in both 03/2018 and 03/2019, $5,000 each time, to fund research expenses.
    • Has been advised she is this year's recipient of the Philadelphia Botanical Society's Bayard Long Award for $1000.00 to support her doctoral research. Congratulations to Toby. 1/23/18.
  • Hadis Miraly, (PhD student, R.Razavi and K, Limburg, mp) was awarded the Carl Sullivan Travel Award from the International Fisheries Section of the American Fisheries Society. The grant, $500, will help to defray her costs of attending the 6th International Otolith Symposium in Keelung, Taiwan, this April. Congratulations to Hadis! 12/29/17.
  • Teresa Rose Osborne (Ph.D. student, R. Rundell, mp) recently placed 1st at the GSA Presentation Competition on 11/30/17. Congratulations also to Vernon Coffey, (M.S. student, W. Powell, mp) who placed 3rd. 12/1/17.
  • Chellby Kilheffer (Ph.D. student, B. Underwood, mp) recently was awarded an ESF Alumni Association Student Travel Grant to support her travel to the Virginia Sea Grant Graduate Symposium - February 2nd to 8th, 2018 in Glen Allen, VA. Chellby will be reporting on her doctoral dissertation research that was partially supported by her Virginia Sea Grant/NOAA Mid-Atlantic Coastal Storms Graduate Research Fellowship. Congratulations Chellby. 11/27/17.
  • Adam Bleau (M.S. student, J. Cohen and M. Schummer, co-advisors) has recently won second place in the Best Student Poster category at The Wildlife Society annual meeting in Albuquerque, N.M. Congratulations Adam. 10/27/17.
  • Lisanne Petracca (Ph.D. student, J. Frair, mp) recently published one of her dissertation chapters ("Robust inference on large-scale species habitat use with interview data: The status of jaguars outside protected areas in Central America") in the Journal of Applied Ecology to much fanfare. It appears that this paper is EFB's "most read" paper last month on ResearchGate. She also was invited by the journal editor to submit a blog post on the article in "The Applied Ecologist's Blog". Congratulations to Lisanne for publishing this paper in such a prestigious outlet and for the attention her paper has already received. 10/27/17.
  • Teresa Rose Osborne (Ph.D. student, R. Rundell, mp) was just selected as recipient for the 2017 Melbourne R. Carriker Student Research Awards in Malacology for her proposal: "Impacts of microhabitat on land snail body size evolution." The award is for $965.00 This is the latest of numerous College and National Awards earned by Teresa Rose during her Ph.D. program here. Congratulations to Teresa Rose for her ongoing success in her graduate program. 10/13/17.
  • Patty Kaishian (Ph.D. student, A. Weir, mp) recently returned from IX Latin American Mycological Congress (IX Congress Latinoamericano de Micologia) held in Lima, Peru where she presented a poster entitled "New Species of Prolixandromyces (Laboulbeniales) from South America". Her poster was one of eight chosen (out of approximately 200) for "best poster" at the meeting. Congratulations to Patty on receiving this recognition. 9/7/17.
  • Dr. Sara Turner (Ph.D. graduate, K. Limburg, mp) has just won the American Fisheries Society's Emerging Leaders Award at AFS's annual national meeting, this year in Tampa, FL. Sara was selected as an early career professional who the AFS has identified as someone who will be an important leader within the society in the future. 8/23/17.
  • Teresa Rose Osborne (Ph.D. student, R. Rundell, mp) was just awarded a highly competitive $5,000.00 grant from the Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research (American Philosophical Society. This grant will support Rose's research on the evolution of body size in Belau land snails. Congratulations to Rose for this national distinction! 5/25/17.
  • Dr. Allison Oakes - post-doc with Dr. Bill Powell on the American Chestnut was recognized as at AT&T STEM Women of the Year for her Chestnut Revitalization Project and expertise in genetically engineered horticulture that helps solve problems associated with the environment. She was nominated by the Partners for Education & Business, Inc. in Syracuse, NY. Allison was also noted as a champion of promoting her projects through community outreach and involvement with schools/students. Allison will be formally recognized at an awards event on June 7th. 5/24/17.
  • Joanna Isadora Lumbsden-Pinto (Ph.D. student - J. Gibbs, mp)
    • has been awarded the ESF Tropical Social Forestry Scholarship. This scholarship, $2000.00 this year, provides support to ESF graduate students who are working in research or service projects focusing on the use and management of tropical and subtropical forests, forest ecosystems, and associated natural resources for the benefit of local people and their communities. Joanna's successful proposal is for forest restoration monitoring work in the Azuero peninsula of Panama. 5/16/17.
    • Joanna Lumbsden-Pinto receives NY Flora Research Award ($750) to study vegetation changes in Long Island Pine Barrens.
  • Tomasz Falkowski (Ph.D. student - S. Diemont, mp) has been selected to receive the Bristol-Myers Squibb Sustainability Fellowship to work with the Lacandon Maya of Chiapas, Mexico, to develop an agroforestry plan for the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve, the topic of his dissertation. Tomasz will receive a $15,000.00 stipend to help fund his final year of Ph.D. study. 5/16/17.
  • Toby Liss (Ph.D. student - D. Leopold, mp) received notification of being named the 2017 Paula Sculley Scholar from the Garden Club of Allegheny County for her doctoral plant-focused research. 5/8/17.
  • Alison Kocek (Ph.D. student - J. Cohen, mp) has been selected for the Roy W. Glahn Memorial Scholarship award. She will receive a check for $750.00 to support her doctoral research on marsh species. 4/5/17.
  • 2017 Sussman Awards were presented to the following students: Mariano Arias (M. Dovciak), Maureen Durkin (J. Cohen), Megan Gallagher (S. Farrell), Aimee Hudon (T. Horton), Colin Mettey (G. McGee), Jim Molloy (D. Leopold), Alex Petzke (D. Leopold), Brian Radcliffe (M. Collins/R. Kimmerer) and Yang Yang (R. Yanai/D. Parry). MP's. and co-mp's are in parentheses. Each student will be awarded the full $7350.00 for their summer internships. 3/28/17.
  • Tomasz Falkowski (Ph.D. student - S. Diemont, mp) has been awarded the 2017 Garden Club of America's Fellowship in Ecological Restoration for his doctoral research. The award for this national competition this year is $8000.00. Tomasz's research is "Assessing the Potential of Lacandon Maya Agroforestry for Ecosystem Service Restoration in the Lacandon Rainforest of Chiapas, Mexico." 3/21/17.
  • Toby Liss (Ph.D. student - D. Leopold, mp) was awarded The Botany in Action Fellowship at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA. This fellowship program is intended to support emerging plant-focused scientists through research grants and science communication training. The award of $5000.00 was based on Toby's winning proposal titled: The Role of Plant Assemblage Diversity in Evaportranspiration: A Novel Application to Enhance Green Roof Function. 3/20/17.
  • Colin Mettey (M.S. student - Gregory McGee, mp) was awarded $1000.00 by the ESF Alumni Association to support his research thesis. 12/1/16.
  • Theresa Rose Osborne (PhD student - Rebecca Rundell, mp) was awarded a $500.00 ESF Alumni Association grant to help support her doctoral research. 11/30/16.
  • Leah Nagel (M.S. student - J. Gibbs, mp) Is one of five recipients this year for The Garden Club of America Fellowship in Ecological Restoration. Leah is working with the NY Natural Heritage Program and NYS DEC to develop rapid-assessment protocols to assess vernal pool quality in natural and restored systems. This work will help to evaluate the effectiveness of wetland mitigation efforts and prioritize vernal pools for conservation. The fellowship is $8000. 11/1/16.
  • Teresa Rose Osborne (PhD student - Rebecca Rundell, mp) was awarded Best Speed Talk at the American Museum of Natural History Student Conference in Conservation Science (New York City 2016) for her work on land snail habitat selection and physiology. 10/24/16.
  • Giuseppe Tumminello (M.S student - Melissa Fierke, Tim Volk, co-mps) won second place for his oral presentation (Agricultural and Forest Entomology: Pollinators" session) on Pollinators on Willows at the International Congress of Entomology held recently in Orlando FL in October. There were 30+ in attendance at the session and over 6000 people at the meeting. 10/17/16.
  • Sam Peterson (MS student - J. Frair, mp) has received a $2000 grant from the American Wildlife Conservation Foundation for his study entitled “Assessing habitat quality to estimate carrying capacity of moose in the Adirondack Park.” 9/15/16.
  • Melvin Samson, (PhD student - K. Limburg, mp), was awarded the Best Student Poster by the Water Quality Section of the American Fisheries Society yesterday during the 146th annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society in Kansas City. Melvin's poster is titled, "Tracking Hypoxia Exposure in Yellow Perch with Otolith Chemistry: Spatial Variation in Lake Erie." Karin was his co-author. 8/24/16.
  • Michelle Peach, (PhD student - J. Cohen/J. Frair co-mps), recently won the Cooper Ornithological Society Board of Directors Student Paper Award for her presentation at the North American Ornithological Conference held last week in Washington, DC. This conference, held every four years, had 2,000 in attendance with 14 concurrent sessions. Michelle’s talk was entitled, “Single-visit dynamic occupancy models: An approach to account for imperfect detection with Atlas data”. 8/24/16.
  • Andy Newhouse, (PhD student. W. Powell, mp), recently won the best poster award at the joint Schatz Tree Genetics Colloquium and annual meeting of The American Chestnut Foundation. The title of his presentation was "Blight resistant transgenic American chestnut: On the starting blocks for government regulatory hurdles." 11/03/15.
  • Amanda Pachomski (MS student, McNulty, mp) won a $500 Graduate Travel Award from the Spatial Ecology & Telemetry Working Group to attend the 2015 Wildlife Science conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba in October. Her application to present her research on Rusty Blackbirds was ranked "outstanding". She will author an article for the working group's newsletter. 9/16/15.
  • Chris Nack (Ph.D student - K. Limburg, mp - ) has been awarded The Hudson River Foundation's $16,000 Mark Bain Graduate Fellowship, for his proposal “Evaluating the impacts of large storm events on the early life stages of American shad”.This award adds to Chris' recent success in obtaining a WRI grant ($10 K) for his dissertation research. As a MS student, also under Karin's direction, Chris received $40 K from NOAA, and with Karin received $110 K from Riverkeeper and the DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program. 6/16/15.
  • "Historical and Projected Changes in Spawning Phenologies of American Shad and Striped Bass in the Hudson River Estuary," was chosen to receive the award for Best Paper in Marine and Coastal Fisheries for 2019.
  • C.J. Robinson (MS student) was awarded a Theodore Gordon Flyfishers Founders Fund scholarship for $3,500 from the Hudson River Environmental Consortium of Colleges & Universities. CJ's project is titled "Role of Recreation in the Distribution and Prevalence of Amphibian Chytrid Fungus (Bd) in Adirondack Mountains of New York." He'll present his work at the consortium's fall meeting. The scholarship is offered to a single recipient who has demonstrated excellence and outstanding dedication in an area of study that falls within an environmental field of a school or department. 6/1/2015.
  • Jesse Czekanski-Moir (PhD student) has been accepted into the MBL Woods Hole Molecular Evolution Workshop for this summer, the premiere program of its kind in the world. Jesse has also been offered the opportunity to train in a genomics lab this coming Fall semester in genomics and bioinformatics techniques in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at University of Arizona in Tucson. 5/2015.
  • Camille Warner (PhD student) has been given a $1000 Student Grant Award from the Society of Wetland Scientists. This funding will be used for a portion of Camille’s doctoral research, Harnessing the Interaction of Plants and Bacteria in Wetland Systems to Remediate Trichloroethylene Contaminated Groundwater. 5/2015.
  • Chellby Kilheffer (PhD student) was awarded $2000 from the American Wildlife Conservation Foundation for her study of deer and Hurricane Sandy impacts to beach vegetation recovery on Fire Island National Seashore. 5/2015.
  • Grete Bader (MS student) was awarded $500 from the NYS Wetlands Forum and $2000 from the American Orchid Society to help cover her thesis research expenses. She is studying a significant population of numerous species of terrestrial orchids on the Benson mine tailings near Star Lake. 4/2015.
  • Geoff Griffiths (PhD student) was awarded the Garden Club of America (GCA) 2015 Fellowship in Ecological Restoration for his doctoral research "Engaging citizen scientists in restoration of understory vascular plant and pollinator assemblages. This nationally-competitive fellowship includes a check for $8000.00. 3/2015.
  • Amanda Cheeseman (PhD student) received a $550.00 travel grant from the World Lagomorph Society to assist her in attending the International Wildlife Management Congress in Sapporo, Japan, where she will present her invited talk. This is part of a symposium on lagomorph ecology. 3/2015.