I am actively recruiting several masters students for the Fall 2023 semester and beyond. An ideal student is dedicated to their research project, and will develop their own skills as an independent scientist. Graduate school is a full time job, and successful students need to be committed. Applicants should desire to work at the intersection of ecology, evolution, and behavior; ideally with crayfish, although I am willing to sponsor motivated students who wish to pursue questions of interest in non-crayfish systems. If you are interested in joining the lab, please email Dr. Graham, zackary.graham@westliberty.edu. Within your email, please include a description of your current academic background, your CV, an overview of your prior research experience, as well as multiple potential areas of research that you would like to pursue. ​

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I currently do not have any funded projects, although the majority of my research is relatively inexpensive and does not require significant funds. However, I encourage all of my students to pursue external funding through a variety of sources, including the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program and the WV NASA Graduate Research Program. Graduate students at West Liberty University are awarded a Graduate Assistantship, which includes a tuition waiver and free on-campus housing. 

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Although I encourage my students to develop their own research questions, I have several fleshed out research projects that will make for an ideal master's student thesis.  A brief description of these projects are outlined below. 

- Surface activity and natural history of the burrowing crayfish, Cambarus monongalensis

- Communication in burrowing crayfishes

- Investment in testes size and postcopulatory sexual selection in Cambarid crayfishes.

- The evolution of sensory appendages within crayfishes

- Interspecific fighting behavior between Faxonius obscurus and Cambarus carinirostris

- The importance of crayfish claws in the burrowing behavior 

 

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