Opportunites

PREAMBLE

I am a first-generation college graduate and McNair Program alum.  I grew up in a working-class family with no idea what graduate school was or what it could help me achieve.  I was helped and encouraged along the way by many.  We all start somewhere.

STUDENT INQUIRES

I welcome conversations to join T.H.E. Lab and conversations about what exactly are science and research, what graduate school is and entails, and what are the "human dimensions" of natural resources.

If the the human dimensions of natural resources (i.e., human dimensions of wildlife, environmental social sciences, conservation social sciences,  environmental psychology, conservation psychology, natural resource sociology, etc.) interests you for undergraduate research, graduate school, or postdoctoral research please contact me at kwallen@uidaho.edu.

For general inquires about M.S. or Ph.D. positions, please email and tell me about yourself.  I will want to know your (a) alma mater and major (include GPA), (b) your motivations for graduate school, (c) your relevant work and/or research experience (include resume/CV), and (d) when you plan to start graduate school.  I will respond with a boilerplate message indicating that (1) I have no positions available or (2) I am looking to fill a specific position.  If I am considering you for a position, I will conduct a personal interview with you before I commit to serve as your advisor and before you apply to the university.

I also support undergraduate research and am happy to have a conversation about our shared interests.  An experience with my research program will expose you to the methods, theories, and partnerships for managing human-environment interactions in diverse natural resource management and conservation contexts.

T.H.E. Lab takes a team-based approach to science.  You will have opportunities to interact with people from different backgrounds and organizations who share the goal of solving complex management and conservation challenges.  Ultimately, my goal is to guide you towards intellectual independence and professional acumen so you can pursue your preferred opportunities, career pathways, and be a badass in whatever you choose.

STUDENT EXPECTATIONS

If you are a student in my lab, you are smart enough to be doing just about anything else, and making a lot more money doing it.  You are here, in-part, because you are motivated by an ethic that places high value on public service and the attainment and sharing of knowledge.

Your success is my success.  All advisors will tell you they expect a student to be dedicated, self-directed, and to go beyond the normative expectations set by a program, university, or profession.  Of course, we all want you to publish—I expect at least one paper from a Master’s student and two from a Ph.D.  I also expect my students to give freely of their time to outreach opportunities, to participate fully in departmental seminars and other activities, and to become involved with relevant professional organizations and activities.  A dedication to go the extra miles to promote science and human dimensions to people, from all walks of life, is a hallmark of a land-grant university.