The lab is now recruiting students of all levels, from undergraduate students at the University of Calgary interested in research experience, to potential graduate students from Canada and internationally. Projects range from working on local vectors in Alberta, to host-parasite disease dynamics, to comparative genomics of disease vectors.
For Undergraduates at University of Calgary Interested in Research Experience:
I was extremely fortunate as an undergraduate student to engage in mentored research experiences. This drastically changed my outlook on science and helped fundamentally shape my experience in academics while an undergraduate. As such, I believe that one of my fundamental roles as a professor is to provide research experiences to students wherever funding and time allows.
If you're a student at University of Calgary and interested in research opportunities, please reach out to me (John - john.soghigian[@]ucalgary.ca) by email and we can discuss potential opportunities. As I try to tailor projects to specific student interests, it is best to browse my lab website and past publications and see if the themes of the lab are of interest - from there, we can meet and discuss opportunities. This can relate to anything from an independent, guided project, to working beside other trainees and assisting on existing projects running in the lab.
For Students Interested In a Graduate Position:
Graduate positions available in:
Ectoparasite and Vector Evolution / Genomics
Graduate studentships (MSc or PhD) are available at the University of Calgary in the Soghigian Lab (https://www.soghigian-lab.net/) with a flexible start date in 2022 or 2023.
We are recruiting students interested in basic and/or applied research on ectoparasite and disease vector diversity and evolution. Potential student projects include host-parasite coevolution, the evolution of complex phenotypes critical to parasite and vector success, and population genomics of important invasive and vector species. We leverage genomic tools and evolutionary methods to answer questions across a range of scales, from population genomics of important vectors like the mosquito Aedes aegypti, to analyses of entire lineages using phylogenomics and comparative methods.
The graduate student will receive a competitive stipend and be enrolled in the Veterinary Medical Science graduate program (https://vet.ucalgary.ca/future-students/graduate-students/), and will also be a mem
ber of the award-winning Host-Parasite Interactions (HPI) training network which comprises 19 principal investigators and >70 trainees. The HPI offers a wide array of community engagement and professional development activities (https://ucalgary.ca/host-parasite-interactions/about).
To learn more, please reach out to Dr. John Soghigian (john.soghigian[@]ucalgary.ca) with a brief statement describing research interests and a copy of your CV. Applicants will be contacted on a rolling basis, but priority will be given to applications received by March 31st, 2022.