Please study the material carefully on this website, as it is intended to provide a set of resources that will answer most of your questions about my current work and research interests.  Opportunities currently exist for undergraduate experiences in my lab as well as for graduate studies.  Undergraduates usually work in conjunction with on-going graduate projects (see below).  Graduate students have either worked closely with me on joint projects or have pursued and developed their own research.  Independently developed projects include ecological studies of wetland Song Sparrow subspecies endemic to San Francisco Bay, and demographic studies of a rare orchid.  Past students have also studied metapopulation dynamics of amphibians and the effects of fragmentation on avian frugivores and forest regeneration.

    I expect to accept one new Ph.D. student to begin in fall 2003.  As you might guess, entrance into the Ph.D. program at Berkeley is competitive because it is such a good program in a desirable location and because our students are well funded.  Entrance is determined by how well your credentials compare to other applicants.  Students are ranked based on: (1) the grade point during the final two years of their undergraduate studies, and the past performance, if any, in graduate programs; (2) GRE scores in verbal, math and analytical categories; (3) professional experiences such as publications, field work, etc.; (4) letters of recommendation; and (5) the statement of purpose.  We do accept students into the Ph.D. program without a masters degree, but sometimes the additional experiences gained by obtaining a masters degree makes such students more competitive.  Serious applicants are encouraged to visit campus. 

    Opportunities often exist for undergraduates to participate in on-going research in my lab.  Currently, volunteers have assisted in research on Song Sparrows in San Francisco Bay and Marbled Murrelets.  These opportunities can yield valuable experience and provide a taste of what it is like to do research.  It is best to contact Dr. Beissinger or one of the graduate students the lab.  Sometimes we post calls for participants here on the web.

    My students and I are in the Ecosystem Sciences Division (http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/departments/espm/html) of the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (ESPM) http://cnr.berkeley.edu/espm/ within the College of Natural Resources http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/.  The ESPM site above includes instructions for downloading graduate applications.  In addition to being in a world class environmental science program, Berkeley boasts rich resources associated with other departments on campus, such as Integrative Biology http://ib.berkeley.edu/ and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/mvz/, where I also have an appointment.  We are a highly diverse and interactive group of ecologists http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/~ecology/home.html and conservation biologists http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/consbio/ at U.C. Berkeley, and students encounter few boundaries between different units.