Best Ecology, Evolution, Systematics and Population Biology graduate PHD programs - Updated 2022

Graduate study in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology is designed to lead to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). The special areas of strength in the department are evolution and genomics, ecology and the environment, behavior and organismal biology, conservation biology, and infectious disease. Graduate students also have excellent opportunities for combining several areas for innovative interdisciplinary work. The graduate program is designed to develop both the breadth and depth of understanding that will enable graduates of the department to respond to future advances in the field.

The Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology (E3B) at Columbia University was established in 2001. In creating E3B, the university recognized that the fields of ecology, evolutionary biology, and environmental biology constitute a distinct subdivision of the biological sciences with its own set of intellectual foci, theoretical foundations, scales of analysis, and methodologies. Fellowships are awarded for those admitted to the PhD program in recognition of academic achievement and in expectation of scholarly success. Teaching and research experience are considered an important aspect of the training of graduate students.

Two students on a boat conducting field research. The Graduate Field of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology encompasses the study of biological diversity, including its origins, dynamics, maintenance and consequences. The Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology provides its students with rich opportunities to study organic diversity, including its origins, maintenance and consequences.

The graduate program in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology is intended for highly qualified students who plan to pursue a career that includes research in the fields of ecology and environmental science, organismal biology and or evolutionary biology.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree in the field of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Program Learning Outcomes for the PhD Degree in the field of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Demonstrate an ability to understand and critically evaluate concepts, research accomplishments, and techniques in ecology and evolutionary biology. Demonstrate independent problem solving and critical thinking skills by identifying novel research questions in ecology and evolutionary biology and synthesizing critical paths towards answering them.

Doctoral Program Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. The doctoral program prepares students to excel in research, academia, industry, and governmental non-governmental organizations. Incoming doctoral students receive five-year support packages that typically include a combination of support in the form of fellowships, graduate student researcher appointments, and teaching assistantships.

RESEARCH INTERESTEvolutionary Biology, Genetics, Neurobiology, Pathogenesis Infection, Virology. PHD PROGRAMBioinformatics Computational Biology, Biology, Genetics Molecular Biology. RESEARCH INTERESTComputational Biology, Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Genomics, Organismal Biology.

Ecology and evolutionary biology deals with the establishment of adaptations over evolutionary time and with the organismal function in ecological time. Research is conducted in both the laboratory and field and includes work on a variety of organisms from phages and bacteria, to higher plants and animals. Departmental research activities include physiological ecology energetics, plant-herbivore and plant-pollinator interactions, microbial ecology and coevolution, quantitative genetics, life history evolution, population and reproductive ecology, community ecology and biogeography.

The Marine Biology and Ecology academic program focuses on a wide range of field, laboratory, and theoretical coursework in a range of research areas, such as coral reef studies, biological oceanography, and marine biology, fisheries biology, and the biology and behavior of marine animals. Graduate students can choose from a diversity of research areas and coursework taught by internationally recognized scientists studying corals and climate change, fisheries biology, and conducting biomedical research. Master of Professional Science (M.P.S.)with tracks in Marine Mammal Science and Tropical Marine Ecosystem Management. However, applicants with a diversity of other degrees also are successful.

Graduate students have successfully found employment opportunities in academia, national fellowships, post-doctoral positions, in state and federal wildlife preservation divisions, and in for-profit organizations across the country.