Songbird Neuroethology Laboratory

Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta

Research Opportunities in the SNL

The SNL is always seeking highly motivated undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows who are interested in comparative cognition and behaviour, animal communication, auditory perception, and neuroethology, to conduct research projects (i.e., summer research students, PSYCO 299, PSYCO 496, PSYCO 498, honours, M.Sc. theses, and Ph.D. theses). Graduate students may apply either to the Department of Psychology's graduate program or the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute graduate program.

If interested, please contact Chris Sturdy directly via e-mail, phone, or in person.

FALL/WINTER 2016-2017: Graduate Student Opportunities, Songbird Neuroethology Laboratory, University of Alberta

I have an opening in my laboratory for an excellent graduate student beginning in September 2017 for a student  interested in pursuing graduate studies in comparative cognition and behaviour, including the neurobiological and developmental correlates of perception and cognition.

The official application deadline is 15 January 2017 to be considered for admission beginning in September 2017, however, applications will be reviewed as soon as they are complete. Please refer to our departmental web pages for information about our graduate program, and to my own web pages for information about current research in my laboratory.

I work hard to ensure that my graduate students have all the necessary resources at their disposal to complete their research and enhance their graduate training experience. My laboratory has recently undergone a complete update to my operant conditioning setup, and continues to maintain excellent facilities for investigating all aspects of brain, behaviour, and cognition in songbirds and humans. Moreover, my graduate students routinely attend local, national, and international conferences to disseminate their research findings as well as to network and establish contacts with like-minded scientists from other institutions. Importantly, my students and I publish their research in top journals, with many of my graduate students finishing with several publications from their time in my laboratory and move onto successful careers after finishing their time in my laboratory. See "SNL Alumni" section of "Lab Members Page".

Funding Opportunities

There are several sources of funding for which students and post docs may apply; what follows is a summary of some of the main sources of funding, along with links to the appropriate pages of funding agencies' web sites.

Undergraduate students may apply for an NSERC undergraduate student research award (USRA). This award, along with a supplement from their research supervisor, provides students with approximately $1,400 per month for four months, from May through August. Undergraduate student can also apply for an URI Undergraduate Researcher Stipend. This award provides the student with a $5,000 for four months, from May through August. There are many other funding opportunities for undergraduates listed here.

Graduate students may apply for NSERC post-graduate scholarships; these awards fund graduate students for two or three years at approximately $17,500-$50,000 per year. Graduate students may want to peruse the many awards listed on the FGSR website. These are of various valuations and for various durations.

Postdoctoral fellows may apply for an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship (PDF) valued at $45,000 per year for two years or a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship valued at $70,000 per year for two years. Please follow this link to find information regarding applying for a Banting PDF to work at the University of Alberta. Follow this link for complete listing of postdoctoral opportunities from NSERC. Postdoctoral fellows may also apply for either a Notely or Killam postdoctoral fellowship. These awards are worth $46,000 per year in salary for two years and come with a one-time award of $4,000 to be used for research and conference expenses. Please follow this link for a complete listing of funding and fellowship opportunities.