Graduate Student Opportunites

News for current and prospective graduate students:

Hello and thank you for expressing interest in the Department of Marine Science and in
the studies conducted in my laboratory.
In answer to some frequently asked questions, I am happy to provide the following
information. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly by e-mail if you need additional
clarification on our program.
New students:  I normally accept one or two students for entry into my lab every Summer
or Fall. I currently have two Ph.D. students and three M.S. students. To date, I have
graduated 31 students (10 Ph.D. and 21 M.S.) who have worked with me in the Gulf of
Mexico, Norway, the Arctic, and the Antarctic.
Financial support: I provide salary and tuition for graduate students under my supervision
while they are enrolled as full-time students and remain in good standing. Students are
paid as Teaching Assistants (TA) while in Austin for their first semester or two. Once
they arrive in Port Aransas, they are appointed as Graduate Research Assistants (GRA).
The current annual salary for students on either a TA or GRA is $34,611. In both cases,
the cost of tuition is also paid for the student. The appointment includes full medical
insurance for the employee paid by the university (about $350/month), which can be
extended to the spouse and family members for an additional cost (dental can be added
for about $30/month). Salaries are only subject to Federal Income Taxes (Texas does not
have an Income Tax). In addition, graduate fellowships are also available to students
enrolled in the Department of Marine Science. Once accepted into our program, Ph.D.
students are expected to work with me to initiate or develop additional funding for their
research.
Housing and cost of living: With respect to the cost of living, Austin ranks below the
national average, but private housing in Port Aransas can be very high since it is a resort
community. For this reason, UTMSI provides housing for students (and families and
partners) for a very reasonable cost (e.g., shared 2-bedroom cottage, $567/person; one
bedroom apartment, $918 include utilities; 3-bedroom apartment for family, $1350
include utilities and WiFi).
Current research projects that are underway are listed under the Research tab.