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Karen E. HodgesUniversity of
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Opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers
Expressions of interest from potential postdoctoral fellows are welcome at any time, either in relation to the research topics addressed specifically in these pages or on related topics.
Below, I outline some graduate student positions that are possible in the near future but that are pending funding. Potential graduate students interested in working on topics or systems other than those listed below are also welcome to inquire, but please be advised that students are accepted only when adequate funding is in place to support each student’s research. Applicants are encouraged to apply for fellowships and scholarships to support their degree aspirations.
Field projects for PhD students
1. Snowshoe hare demography and behaviour in northwestern Montana. This PhD project will address survival, dispersal, and movements of snowshoe hares in a long-term study area with sites including mature stands, regenerating stands, and stands that were precommercially thinned. This project requires summer and winter fieldwork in Montana. Key questions include hares’ behavioural responses to edges between stand types, and stand-specific mortality rates and causes. Results will be explicitly compared to published demographic work from other areas in the range to test hypotheses about demography in relation to range position.
2. Impacts of habitat fragmentation on mouse population dynamics at range edges and range cores (sage-steppe in the Okanagan Valley, B.C. and in the US). This work will test whether habitat fragmentation has similar demographic and behavioural impacts on mice in the range periphery and in the range core. The likely species for this work is the Great Basin pocket mouse, although the Western harvest mouse is also a possible focal species. Fieldwork will involve mark-recapture live-trapping for population estimates and tracking mice that are dusted in fluorescent powder to assess movements and habitat choices.
Field projects for MSc students
1. Snowshoe hare densities in response to regeneration after fire and position within the range. This project will entail summer fieldwork in Washington, Montana, and Wyoming. Although a number of studies have examined how hare densities respond to forestry activities such as clear-cutting and precommercial thinning, far fewer have examined responses post-fire. This omission is important because climate change is predicted to lead to larger and more frequent fires throughout western North America, thus becoming an increasingly important driver of forest structure. This project will address post-fire responses of hares in terms of (a) time since fire, (b) fire severity, (c) size and landscape features of regenerating patches, and (d) region.
2. Experimental test of food limitation of mice in sage-steppe habitats of the Okanagan Valley, B.C. Great Basin pocket mice and Western harvest mice reach their northern range limits in southcentral B.C. This study will test if food supply limits their densities, by providing supplemental food and monitoring survival, recruitment, and densities.
Population Modelling Projects, MSc or PhD
A major unresolved problem in biogeography is the extent to which densities, survival, and reproduction vary across species’ ranges, let alone the mechanisms driving such variation. This lack of understanding damages efforts to predict range expansions related to climate change. These student projects are desk-based, making use of population modelling (e.g. population viability analysis) and spatial analyses.
1. Range-wide demographic analysis of selected mammal species. This student will select several Canadian mammal species then collate demographic data (densities, survival, reproduction, dispersal) from the literature from across the species’ ranges. The student will address how variable vital rates are in space and time, and will build population models for each species using the collated data to project population growth rates and to estimate missing vital rates.
2. Range-wide demographic analysis of selected reptile species. This project is similar to the mammal project, but will focus on reptiles. The contrast between projects is likely to be informative because reptiles are more likely to face thermal constraints than are mammals.
Meta-analysis on species’ traits that predict range expansions, PhD
Climate change is inducing many range shifts, both expansions and contractions. At present, our ability to predict what any given species or peripheral population will do is quite limited. This student will use species’ traits, environmental and climatic variables, habitat variables, and demographic information to model range-edge dynamics (expand, contract, stay stable). The focus will be on Canadian mammals and reptiles.
Graduate programs
There are two graduate programs at UBC Okanagan that would be suitable for students interested in working in my lab.
The Biology Graduate Program offers MSc and PhD degrees in Biology. Most students will enroll in September, but January and May admissions are also possible if circumstances warrant. The MSc requires 12 course credits at the graduate level and a research-based thesis. The PhD requires a research-based dissertation, coursework at the discretion of the advisory committee, and some kind of outreach based upon the research topic (e.g. engagement in schools, community groups, government advisory committees). Please see the program page for additional details. This program is well-suited for students seeking advanced training in Biology. Visit the UBC Okanagan College of Graduate Studies webpages for more information about graduate studies at UBC Okanagan, including information on how to apply.
The Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies Program also offers MSc and PhD degrees. It is ideally suited for students interested in combining different disciplinary approaches to a problem. For example, students interested in GIS and spatial ecology, mathematical models of biological phenomena, or biology and policy might prefer the IGS program.
Applying for graduate school at UBC Okanagan
Opportunities for undergraduate students
Directed studies (Biol 452). This course offers students a chance to pursue in depth a topic of their choosing via extensive reading or mathematical modelling and weekly discussions. A range of topics are possible.
Honours’ Projects. Students who wish to undertake an Honours’ Project are encouraged to contact me as early as possible with their ideas after having consulted the UBC Okanagan calendar to check whether they meet the requirements. Students conducting Honours projects with me will typically be either in the Biology BSc or in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology BSc. Projects may be undertaken in conjunction with graduate projects or may be entirely separate. Students undertaking these projects are encouraged to explore NSERC’s USRA program and the Barber School’s undergraduate funding program to help support research costs.
Field assistants. Each year, undergraduate students are hired as field assistants to support the graduate students’ field projects. People hired directly as field assistants do not undertake their own research projects, but they do work closely with other researchers and will learn field and research skills.Most of these positions require people who are comfortable working outside in rugged and remote areas for extended lengths of time.
Work-study positions. During the school year, I often have a position available for a work-study student, which is normally advertised in August/September.
Dr. Karen E. Hodges
Associate Professor, Biology
3333 University Way
University of British Columbia Okanagan
Kelowna B.C. V1V 1V7, Canada
Phone: 250 807-8763
Fax: 250 807-8005
karen.hodges@ubc.ca
Last reviewed 
10/21/2011 3:13:18 PM
