Tarleton State University, Department of Biological Sciences (Coe Lab) · Texas · assistantship · posted yesterday
PhD Opportunity: Harvest, Demography, and the Ethnobotany of Medicinal Plants — Tarleton State University The Coe Lab in the Department of Biological Sciences at Tarleton State University is recruiting a PhD student to begin in Fall 2027 through the university's new Integrative Biosciences (IBSC) PhD program. The position includes a five-year graduate assistantship. Our lab asks how people and plants shape one another: which plants people choose to use and why, how harvest changes the life history and long-term persistence of the plants they depend on, and how communities and science together can keep those populations healthy. Recent work from the lab has shown how bark and stem harvest reshape the population structure and transient dynamics of Banisteriopsis caapi in the Peruvian Amazon (Journal of Applied Ecology, 2023), and why phylogeny, rather than therapeutic redundancy, predicts which medicinal species face the greatest use pressure (People and Nature, 2021). Research opportunities The student will join one or more of the lab's three active research programs and develop independent dissertation questions within them: * Global medicinal plant selection. A worldwide, phylogenetically grounded database testing theories of medicinal plant selection, built in collaboration with the Harvard University Herbaria. The first paper from this program, a phylogenetic test of the doctrine of signatures, was first-authored by an undergraduate student. * Resilience of harvested plants. A global synthesis of how non-timber forest products respond to harvest, using matrix projection models, integral projection models, and population viability analysis. * The Pacha Nishi Project. A community-led restoration and conservation genetics program on Shipibo-Konibo land in the Ucayali region of Peru, including a long-term demographic census carried out with Indigenous field technicians trained through the Koshi Tapon apprenticeship. The lab also collaborates on an interdisciplinary project supported by the Harvard Mahindra Humanities Center, with colleagues at Harvard, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and UC San Diego. Entry points are deliberately varied. A student can build a dissertation around computational and database work in R, around field demography, or around summer field seasons in Peru, so that students with different constraints on time and travel can all do original, publishable research. Responsibilities may include * Building, curating, and analyzing large ecological and ethnobotanical datasets. * Herbarium-based taxonomic verification and phylogenetic analyses. * Demographic fieldwork and population modeling (MPMs, IPMs, PVA). * Working respectfully with Indigenous and local community partners, including under community and IRB permissions. * Teaching as a graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Biological Sciences. * Leading manuscripts and presenting at national and international meetings. Funding and benefits * Five-year graduate assistantship, contingent on satisfactory academic progress and continued program and funding approval. The 12-month stipend will follow the College of Graduate Studies assistantship rates in effect at appointment. * Tuition waiver: a full waiver of tuition and fees is possible, subject to funding availability, but is not guaranteed. The program funds a set number of assistantships that carry full tuition waivers, and I will advocate to secure one for the selected student. * Health, dental, and vision coverage is available to graduate assistants. * Field, travel, and research costs are supported through the lab's grants as available. Qualifications We seek a curious, motivated student with interests in plant population ecology, ethnobotany, conservation biology, or the evolutionary ecology of useful plants. A master's degree is preferred. In your application, please identify coursework or experience in the following areas, which form the foundation for work in this lab: * Population ecology * Matrix projection models, integral projection models, and population viability analysis (PVA) * Botany or plant biology (plant systematics, taxonomy, or physiology especially valued) * Ecological statistics * Modeling and data analysis in R * Conservation biology * Anthropology or ethnobiology * Independent research experience, especially hypothesis-driven field research Applicants are not expected to be strong in every area, but should be prepared to fill gaps early in the program. Additional assets include Spanish-language ability, plant identification skills, experience working with communities or across cultures, and willingness to undertake extended international fieldwork under variable field conditions. Mentoring and research environment Every student in the lab owns something from the start — a species, a plot, or a dataset — with a clear path to authorship. Each student receives full mentorship and a clear path through the Integrative Biosciences program. I meet with graduate students weekly, set writing deadlines early, and aim for each student to have a real result with their name on it within the first year. I mentor toward the careers students actually want, whether academic, agency, NGO, or industry. Students from first-generation, rural, and Indigenous backgrounds are especially encouraged to apply; the knowledge students bring from their own communities, cultures, and languages is an asset to the science. Tarleton State University is a member of The Texas A&M University System, located in Stephenville, Texas, about 90 minutes southwest of Dallas–Fort Worth. The IBSC PhD program was approved in 2026, and the selected student will be among its first cohorts. To apply Email MCOE@tarleton.edu with the subject line "Coe Lab PhD Position – Fall 2027" and include: 1. A brief statement (one page or less) of your research interests and how they connect to the lab's work. 2. A CV. 3. Unofficial transcripts, with coursework in the areas listed under Qualifications highlighted or flagged. 4. Names and contact information for two or three references. Review of applications will begin December 1, 2026 and continue until the position is filled. Strong applicants will be invited to an interview and supported through the IBSC application process. I am glad to set up a call to talk through the research and any funding questions, and students who need more time to decide are welcome to reach out about a future cycle. More information about the lab is available at drcoelab.com. Best, Michael Michael A. Coe, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Biological Sciences Tarleton State University Box T-0100 Stephenville, Texas 76402 Website | ResearchGate | ORCID
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