{"id":217,"date":"2015-09-17T03:37:07","date_gmt":"2015-09-17T03:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esa.org\/plantpopulation\/?page_id=217"},"modified":"2025-05-13T13:09:16","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T13:09:16","slug":"careers-mentoring","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/esa.org\/plantpopulation\/careers-mentoring\/","title":{"rendered":"Careers and mentoring"},"content":{"rendered":"

Careers in plant population ecology<\/span><\/h2>\n

What do plant population ecologists do<\/em>, anyway? Have you ever wondered what types of careers members of the Plant Population Ecology Section have? We recently surveyed our members to learn more about their current jobs and how they got there!<\/span><\/p>\n

Our members work in academic institutions as professors, in government agencies as staff scientists, in botanical gardens as researchers, and in non-profit organizations as conservation scientists. Although they all work on plant population ecology, their day-to-day duties vary widely. We discuss a sample of the possible jobs below, but note that there are many more directions that a plant population ecologist could go!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Government researchers<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Plant population ecologists can work for local, state, and federal agencies. There are plant ecologists in the U.S. <\/span>Department of Interior<\/span><\/a> (i.e., <\/span>Bureau of Land Management<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>U.S. Geological Survey<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>National Parks Service<\/span><\/a>), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (<\/span>U.S. Forest Service<\/span><\/a>), and other agencies (<\/span>U.S. Environmental Protection Agency<\/span><\/a>). Some of our members who work for the federal government spend their time synthesizing literature for meta-analyses and policy-related documents, working on projects collaboratively with other federal agencies and academic partners, and outreach. Another member is working with multiple U.S. agencies on large, data-based projects analyzing the effects of the environment on restoration in grassland species. To apply for federal jobs, visit <\/span>https:\/\/www.usajobs.gov\/<\/span><\/a>. State government web pages have information on careers, and each state will have their own unique application process (i.e. <\/span>Colorado<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Pennsylvania<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Minnesota<\/span><\/a> to name a few).\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: NPS employee leading a tour in Olympic National Park. Credit: <\/span>NPS History Collection photo Richard Frear.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Conservation-based nonprofit scientists<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Nonprofit organizations such as botanical gardens (i.e. <\/span>Chicago Botanic Garden<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>New York Botanical Garden<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Atlanta Botanical Garden<\/span><\/a>), environmental organizations (<\/span>The Nature Conservancy<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Center for Biological Diversity<\/span><\/a>), and field stations (<\/span>Organization for Biological Field Stations<\/span><\/a>) are a just an example of the institutions that will often hire ecologists and plant biologists. Some of our members work as research scientists at botanic gardens, and in their role they perform research, student mentoring, and generally more service than a traditional research professor at an academic institution. To apply for nonprofit jobs, visit the nonprofit\u2019s career page, as each organization has its own unique application process.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Environmental consultants<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Plant biologists work as environmental consultants for private firms. Some of their main job duties are to help clients navigate environmental compliance, and to support local, state, and federal agencies to fulfill their research missions, and much more. As an environmental consultant, members spend their days in the field collecting data on plant species at potential construction sites, work on data synthesis and technical analyses for partners, and provide communication material to clients. Examples of environmental consulting firms include <\/span>RTI International<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Great Ecology<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Wiregrass Ecological Associates<\/span><\/a>. Similar to nonprofit organizations, the application process for these jobs will look different for each consulting firm.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Academic research and teaching professors<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Our members work in many types of higher education institutions, from liberal arts colleges to research universities. Some professors focus primarily on teaching and undergraduate research, while other professors may teach fewer courses and spend more time on research.<\/span><\/p>\n

The balance between teaching and research will vary depending on the university and type of position. At research universities, research faculty spend more of their time doing research, say 40-60%, and the rest of their time teaching and contributing to university service (e.g., serving on committees).\u00a0 Many research universities also have more teaching-focused positions (e.g., lecturer or teaching professor); these typically involve teaching more classes and developing curriculum while doing less research. At liberal arts colleges (SLACs) and primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs), professors also typically have a higher teaching load, and are usually encouraged to conduct research that involves undergraduate students. Mentorship is a large part of any professor\u2019s job \u2013 from mentoring undergraduates, to graduate students, to postdoctoral scholars.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To become a professor, a four-year undergraduate degree, followed by a master\u2019s and\/or PhD are required. Most people also complete one or more postdoc positions before becoming a faculty member. Postdocs are usually very focused on research, and tend to be more independent than grad students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: Drs. Brandie Quarles Chidyagwai and collaborator Julin Maloof teach undergraduates about plant evolutionary ecology in a common garden experiment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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How to find jobs in ecology:\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

If you would like to learn more about specific career paths, reach out to the plant population ecology committee to get connected to other members who currently hold these and other positions. To keep your eye on jobs in the field of ecology, sign up for digests from ECOLOG-L (<\/span>https:\/\/esa.org\/membership\/ecolog\/<\/span><\/a>), <\/span>Conservation Job Board<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>ecoevojobs.net<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Texas A&M Natural Resources Job Board<\/span><\/a>. For a more detailed list of job boards and student opportunities, visit the ESA Job Sites page: <\/span>https:\/\/esa.org\/career-development\/job-sites\/<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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If you are working as a plant population ecologist in one of the fields above and have a different experience or work in a different type of organization, please reach out to the PPE officers to include your perspective on this page.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Mentorship<\/span><\/h2>\n
Interested in being a mentor? Looking for advice? Check out our resources below.<\/span><\/div>\n

You can post to offer yourself as a mentor by emailing PPE Secretary Gordon Fitch (gmfitch@yorku.ca<\/a>). Please include name, affiliation, contact information, and any information about target audiences you feel comfortable mentoring.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are looking for advice, please first check out our Mentor list. If you don\u2019t see what you\u2019re looking for, please email Gordon with your name, contact information, and the type of mentoring you wish you receive. We\u2019ll post your inquiry to our members and, if you wish, on the website.<\/span><\/p>\n

List of mentors<\/span><\/h2>\n

Nicole Rafferty<\/a>, nicole.rafferty@ucr.edu<\/a>, Assistant Professor, University of California-Riverside<\/span>
\nMentoring expertise<\/span>: I am happy to mentor individuals who are interested in academic careers in ecology or related fields and can offer guidance to undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jay Wason<\/a>, jay.wason@yale.edu, Postdoctoral Associate, Yale University<\/span>
\nMentoring expertise<\/span>: I am a postdoctoral researcher and received my PhD in 2016. I would be happy to offer undergraduates, graduate students, and current or prospective postdocs advice on school, grants, publishing, applying for jobs\/postdocs, and making the transition between any of those academic stages.<\/span><\/p>\n

Christopher Ivey<\/a>, ctivey@csuchico.edu, Associate Professor, California State University, Chico<\/span>
\nMentoring expertise<\/span>: I could offer support for students or early-career scientists interested in academic careers, particularly at comprehensive universities or other institutions that emphasize both teaching and research.<\/span><\/p>\n

Janette Steets<\/a>, janette.steets@okstate.edu, Associate Professor, Oklahoma State University<\/span>
\nMentoring expertise<\/span><\/span>: \u00a0I am happy to mentor individuals (undergraduates through early career faculty) who are considering academic careers in ecology and evolutionary biology.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lynn Adler<\/a>, lsadler@bio.umass.edu, Professor, University of Massachusetts at Amherst<\/span>
\nMentoring expertise<\/span><\/span>: I am happy to mentor individuals who are in or considering academic careers in ecology, including undergraduates, graduates, postdocs and early-career faculty. I welcome questions pertaining to issues for women or LGBTQ individuals in science.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jean Burns<\/a>, jbm122@case.edu, Assistant Professor, Case Western Reserve University<\/span>
\nMentoring expertise<\/span><\/span>: I am happy to mentor individuals who are considering academic careers in ecology, including undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs and early career faculty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ken Paige<\/a><\/span>, https:\/\/publish.illinois.edu\/k-paige\/<\/a>, Professor,University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jenny Gremer<\/a><\/span>, jrgremer@ucdavis.edu, Associate Professor, University of California, Davis<\/span>
\nMentoring expertise<\/span>: I am happy to mentor individuals who are considering academic careers in ecology, especially undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs. I have also done some work with governmental agencies and can share my experience with that as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tom Kursar<\/a><\/span>, kursar@biology.utah.edu, http:\/\/biologylabs.utah.edu\/coley\/<\/a>, Professor, University of Utah<\/span>
\nMentoring expertise<\/span>: I am can mentor anyone interested in a career in ecology, plant physiology or related disciplines including undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs and early career faculty.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Careers in plant population ecology What do plant population ecologists do, anyway? Have you ever wondered what types of careers members of the Plant Population Ecology Section have? We recently surveyed our members to learn more about their current jobs and how they got there! Our members work in academic institutions as professors, in government agencies as staff scientists, in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1014,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-217","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/plantpopulation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/plantpopulation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/plantpopulation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/plantpopulation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1014"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/plantpopulation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/plantpopulation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":779,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/plantpopulation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/217\/revisions\/779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/plantpopulation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}