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Opportunities to join the Enquist Macroecology Lab

Join the Lab

The Enquist Lab welcomes students and researchers interested in macroecology, functional biology, biodiversity informatics, and global change biology. Much of the work combines field ecology, plant physiology, trait data, large synthesis datasets, and theory-driven quantitative analysis.

We are a field-anchored and quantitatively rigorous group: students and postdocs routinely move between boots-on-the-ground ecological measurements, reproducible R workflows, and theory-focused synthesis writing. Mentorship emphasizes question clarity, transparent uncertainty, and open-science habits that scale from a single plot to continental biodiversity analyses.

Andean ridgeline overlooking layered cloud-forest valleys during field sampling
Research training begins with ecological gradients that make climate, traits, and biodiversity legible in the field.
Researchers measuring a tropical tree in a forest plot
Students and collaborators learn by working directly with plot methods, field measurements, and long-term forest data.

What Makes A Strong Fit

  1. Clear scientific questions that connect organismal biology to community, ecosystem, or macroecological patterns
  2. Interest in combining field measurements with quantitative, computational, or data-synthesis approaches
  3. Evidence of initiative: research experience, coding, open-science practice, or independent project development

Graduate Students

We accept students through the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. We are especially interested in supporting students interested in:

  1. Plant ecophysiology and ecosystem fluxes at elevational transects (RMBL), long-term tropical forest plots (Costa Rica), and Andean/Amazonian systems (Peru)
  2. Theoretical and quantitative advances in allometric and metabolic scaling, trait-based ecology, and plant form-function relationships
  3. Macroecology, biodiversity science, and large-scale ecological synthesis

Prospective students should:

  1. Review our research themes to assess fit
  2. Email Brian (benquist@arizona.edu) with a brief statement of interest, CV, and any relevant publications or projects

Applications are typically due in December for the following fall. Strong applications will have prior research experience, programming skills (R or Python), and clear scientific questions.

Field researchers measuring tree diameter in a forest monitoring plot
Field-based training is a core part of the lab's research culture, especially in plant functional traits, community ecology, and climate-gradient science.

Postdoctoral Researchers

No funded postdoctoral positions are currently open. Researchers interested in developing independent fellowships (NSF, USDA, Marie Curie, etc.) are encouraged to contact Brian to discuss potential fit and alignment with ongoing lab projects.

Undergraduate Researchers

UA undergraduates interested in research in macroecology, bioinformatics, or data science should email Brian with a CV and brief statement of interest. We participate in UA’s UBRP program and often support honors theses and summer field opportunities.

Visiting Researchers

We welcome international visiting students and researchers. Contact Brian directly to discuss potential collaborations and funding sources.

Cloud-forest mountain slope along an elevational transect
Projects often begin with sites and gradients large enough to test genuinely big questions.
Fieldwork at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory elevational gradient
Research opportunities span tropical forests, alpine systems, and cross-site synthesis projects.