The Kwapich Lab at the University of Central Florida is seeking MS and PhD students interested in social insect behavior to begin in fall of 2025. Major research areas include ant colony organization, production ecology of seed harvesting ants, nest architecture, and myrmecophile life history. Graduate positions are fully funded through a combination of teaching and research assistantships. Application details can be found here.
The University of Central Florida is situated in a wonderland of ant diversity, outside Orlando, FL. The department is also home to several other Hymenoptera labs, including those of Josh King (ants) and Barb Sharanowski (wasps), and houses a large insect collection with museum staff. Four hundred acres of campus Arboretum Natural Lands include sandhill habitat, scrub, longleaf pine flatwoods, mesic hardwood habitats, and cypress swamps. The Department holds several field stations with student lodging for expeditions and trips to gulf and Atlantic coasts.
Our lab group includes 6 undergraduates, a PhD student and Postdoc. While we are primarily field biologists, the lab space is equipped with a GC-MS, temperature controlled insect rearing rooms, and equipment for all aspects of molecular, metabolic, and microbial work.
UCF Ant Lab website: https://christinakwapich.com UCF Department of Biology: https://sciences.ucf.edu/biology/ UCF Arboretum: https://arboretum.ucf.edu UCF Insect Collection: https://sciences.ucf.edu/biology/bugclo