Why doing research at Castilla lab?

At Castilla Lab, we are firmly committed to promoting underrepresented groups in science. You may expect an enthusiastic and collaborative atmosphere where you can develop your maximum potential. We love plants and aim to generate and share solid knowledge with our scientific community and broadly with our societies. We are committed to conducting open, reproducible science to achieve our goal. Research in our lab involves field, experimental, molecular, and computational work, so there are many opportunities to develop your specific research skills and interests. At Oklahoma State University, we have cutting-edge facilities to do your research, including molecular laboratories, greenhouses, growth chambers, a high-performance computing center, a genomics and proteomics center, and several field stations, among others. 

Undergraduate Students

We truly enjoy mentoring undergraduate students. There are opportunities year-round. All backgrounds and majors may find a home in our lab, but especially ecology, genetics, data science, and computer science. If you would like to join our team, email [email protected] with a description of your interests, your major, your career goals, and your time availability.

Don't forget that OSU provide excellent opportunities to fund your ideas! Some options include Advancing Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (AURCA), the Niblack Research Scholars Program, and the OSU Beckman Scholars Program. Check the undergraduate research opportunities at the College of Arts and Science for more information!

Graduate Students

We are looking for graduate students (M.Sc./Ph.D.) to join the lab! If you are interested in joining us, please email [email protected] your CV and a few paragraphs about your interests, how they match to our lab, your career goals, and why you think our lab is a good match.

We are affiliated with the Plant Biology M.S. program and the interdisciplinary Plant Sciences Ph.D. program offered by the Department of Plant Biology, Ecology, and Evolution at Oklahoma State University. For application deadlines/instructions, see the department website.

Postdocs

I occasionally have funding for postdocs which will be announced on our website and widely advertised. If you have an idea for postdoctoral research project and feel our lab is a good place to develop it, we can work in writing a proposal for a postdoctoral fellowship. Some potential options include the Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB), Society for Conservation Biology Smith Fellowships, USDA Fellowships, Liber Ero Fellows, American Association of University Women Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship (women), Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships, and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions global postdoctoral fellowships (Europeans). Please, email [email protected] to discuss options.