Graduate Fields
Several graduate fields have faculty who participate in 3CPG. At Cornell, only these interdepartmental fields award advanced degrees, and because departments do not award degrees, cross departmental collaboration is exceptionally easy and natural here. Many of the graduate fields will appear to overlap, so the best way to find out which is right for you is to study the websites and contact individual faculty directly.
Graduate Field of Genetics and Development (http://gendev.cornell.edu/)
If you are particularly interested in genetic mechanisms of evolution, or have a strong affinity for model genetic organisms and their role in evolutionary genomics, or have a strong interest in functional genomics or evolutionary developmental genetics, then you should explore this field carefully. Some of the Field of Genetics and Development faculty that have a strong interest in evolutionary genetics include Eric Alani, Chip Aquadro, Dan Barbash, Ed Buckler, Andy Clark, Andrew Grimson, Zhenglong Gu, Rick Harrison, Alon Keinan, Brian Lazzaro, June Nasrallah, Adam Siepel, and Mariana Wolfner. Deadline for graduate applications is Dec 15.
Graduate Field of Computational Biology (www.cb.cornell.edu)
This graduate field spans a wide range of applications from serious computational modeling to problems in bioinformatics, biomechanics, population dynamics, protein structure, epidemiology, gene regulatory networks, quantitative genetics and complex traits, evolutionary genomics or statistical genomics. Some of the faculty with an interest in evolutionary genomics include Andy Clark, Jason Mezey, Adam Siepel, and Alon Keinan. Deadline for graduate applications is Oct. 1 for spring semester, and Jan. 1st for fall semester. Many students participate in this graduate field via the Tri-Institutional Program in Computational Biology and Medicine (http://www.triiprograms.org/cbm/index.html). This is an NIH T32-funded Training Program, seeks to recruit highly qualified students from a broad range of backgrounds for a unique interdisciplinary educational opportunity. This Ph.D. program trains students to use computational and analytical methods to solve problems in biology and medicine from the protein level to the organ level. The CBM program brings together the exceptional educational and research resources of Cornell University in Ithaca, its Medical College in NYC (Weill Medical College of Cornell University), and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center to provide a unique training opportunity at the forefront of computational biology and biomedical research.
Graduate Field of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (www.eeb.cornell.edu/field/EEB.html)
This field spans evolutionary ecology, population genetics, ecological genetics, speciation, and macroevolution as well as various aspects of ecology at the individual, community and ecosystem levels. If your primary interests include ecological components of the determinants of evolutionary change, or the role of the environment in organismal fitness, then you should consider this field. Of the faculty in this graduate field, the following have a strong interest in evolutionary genetics: Chip Aquadro, Andy Clark, Monica Geber, Nelson Hairston, Rick Harrison, Irby Lovette, Amy McCune, Kerry Shaw, Mariana Wolfner, and Kelly Zamudio. Deadline for graduate applications is Dec 1.
Graduate Field of Entomology (http://graduatestudies.entomology.cornell.edu)
The graduate field of Entomology is composed of 49 faculty from the Department of Entomology in Ithaca and Geneva, as well as other units at Cornell (Boyce Thompson Institute and USDA). Our graduate program emphasizes the biology, ecology, evolution, and management of insect populations. We encourage applications from students with a strong interest in insect evolutionary genetics and genomics. 3CPG affiliates with membership in the field of Entomology are Bryan Danforth, Richard Harrison, and Brian Lazzaro. Deadline for graduate applications is Dec 21.
Graduate Field of Natural Resources (http://gradeducation.lifesciences.cornell.edu/fields/individual5476)
Graduate students in this field focus on the biological, sociological, and policy dimensions of natural resource conservation and sustainability. If your primary interests include the application of population genetics and functional genomics to applied questions relating to ecosystem services, population persistence, invasive species, species responses to climate change, or wildlife and fisheries monitoring, you should consider this field. Evolutionary genetic questions are being addressed in this field by Bernd Blossey and Matthew Hare. Graduate applications are accepted on a rolling basis with fall applications reviewed in January.
Graduate Field of Neurobiology and Behavior (http://www.nbb.cornell.edu/gradstudiesoverview.shtml)
Graduate students in this field focus on the study of neurobiology with behavior at all levels of analysis. Research approaches range from the study of ion channels through neural networks, to the genetic and molecular basis of behavioral variation, to the evolution and behavior of animal societies. Evolutionary and comparative genomic questions are being addressed in this field by Michael Webster, Kerry Shaw, Kern Reeve, Carl Hopkins and Andrew Bass. Deadline for graduate applications is Dec 1.
Other relevant graduate fields
In addition there are several other relevant programs that include very strong coverage of evolutionary biology, including Plant Biology, Biometry, Statistics, and Applied Math. You can also learn more about academic programs and facilities at Cornell from the individual departmental websites, including Molecular Biology and Genetics (www.mbg.cornell.edu), Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (www.eeb.cornell.edu), Biological Statistics and Computational Biology (www.bscb.cornell.edu), Entomology (http://www.entomology.cornell.edu/), Plant Breeding and Genetics (www.plbrgen.cals.cornell.edu ), and Plant Biology (http://www.plantbio.cornell.edu/)