Winter Break Update

December was busy. Jan and Noah harvested the first phase of a new plant-soil feedback experiment. Superstar undergraduates Madeline, John, Alejandra, and Abbey produced first drafts of papers from their independent projects that we hope to edit for submission to peer-reviewed journals. Hannah, Noah, and Devon presented at the Annual Ecology and Evolution Grad Student Symposium — and Hannah earned 1st place for her talk (Congrats, Hannah!). Devon set-up her first experiment in the lab. Scott, Noah, and Hannah have all finished drafts of new papers. A visiting student, Kori Bohon, joined the lab and is finishing up experiments for her PhD. And, we had a great holiday party that was so good I forgot to take pictures. Hopefully everyone also enjoyed a break with family and friends!

Sweep!

Everyone in the lab (Jan, Hannah, Noah, Scott, and Devon) got good news from Texas EcoLab. With this funding, we will:

(1) Establish the first Texas-specific collection of AM fungi.

(2) Test how plant-herbivore interactions change across a precipitation gradient.

(3) Learn how precipitation influences interactions between plants and above- and below-ground microbial communities.

(4) Determine how abiotic stress influences interactions between native and non-native species.

(5) Examine how microbe-microbe interactions on plants are influenced by different environments.

Congratulations everyone!

A Busy Summer and Fall

A few highlights from the past few months:

Jan joined the lab as a postdoc this April to help with the climate and plant-soil feedback project. In addition to doing awesome work on the project, he’s already brainstorming lots of cool project ideas. Welcome Jan!

Devon joined the lab as a PhD student this August. She just submitted a proposal to the NSF GRFP and is helping mentor undergrads in the lab on statistical analyses. Welcome Devon!

Hannah presented her work at the North American Prairie Conference and the Ecological Society of America meeting, all while she was managing experiments for her dissertation and fun side projects.

Scott presented his work at the Ecological Society of America meeting. He received 2nd place for his poster from the Restoration Ecology Section. Congrats, Scott!

Noah and Hannah were both awarded grants from the Texas EcoLab program.

Noah and Scott were both awarded grants from Sigma Xi.

The lab went on a trip to the field sites in Michigan. We collected data on the long-term biodiversity experiment and a ton of midges for Alejandra’s independent project.

Austin and Hoang started graduate programs this fall. We miss them, but I can’t wait to see what they accomplish as graduate students!

Madeline received a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship for her work on fungal endophytes and she helped develop a new outreach program that debuted at an event at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. She also just submitted a proposal to the NSF GRFP.

Antonio received a Provosts Undergraduate Research Scholarship for his work testing how above- and below-ground microbes influence plant responses to precipitation.

Congrats everyone!

We’re looking for a postdoc!

The Crawford Lab anticipates hiring a postdoctoral researcher in plant-microbe interactions in the Department of Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Houston.

The postdoctoral researcher will conduct research on an NSF-funded project testing how climate influences plant-soil feedback in native Texas grasslands. This work will include both greenhouse and field experiments, as well as next-generation sequencing of soil communities. In addition to this project, the postdoctoral researcher will be encouraged to develop their own ideas and projects on plant-microbe interactions.

Candidates must have a PhD in ecology or a related field and experience conducting research with plants and/or microbes. Other important qualifications are a background in statistical methods, a strong work ethic, problem-solving and time management skills, and a track record of publications. A background in managing large field experiments and experience with molecular techniques and bioinformatics is desirable.

This is a one year position with an expectation for renewal provided satisfactory performance. The start date is flexible, but an ideal candidate would be able to start in Spring or Summer 2019.

To apply, please send your CV (including contact information for 3 references) along with a short description of your previous research experience and your interest in this position to Dr. Kerri Crawford (kmcrawford3@uh.edu). Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until filled.

***I will be at ESA. Please contact me if you would like to chat during the meeting.

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Lots to Celebrate

To celebrate the end of a productive semester, the lab headed out for pizza and beer. A few of the things we’re celebrating:

  • Lots of exciting new projects for Hannah and Noah
  • Anna’s submission of her first manuscript
  • Amazing undergrad research conducted by Laura and Luis
  • Luis’s graduation + job offers
  • Scott’s graduation + his decision to stick around for a PhD with us
  • Sandy’s election as a senator in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
  • Hoang’s publications
  • Huda and Hannah winning prizes for their presentations
  • New faces in the lab joining us this summer
  • And much, much more!

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NSF Grant Awarded

Thanks to NSF, the Crawford Lab will be starting a new project! For the next four years, we will be investigating how climate influences plant-soil feedback using a variety of experiments in the lab and field. We’re excited to discover how abiotic variation across space and time can influence plant community structure through alterations in plant-microbe interactions. This also means that we will be looking to hire new personnel to help with the project. If you are looking for a technician position or a postdoc position and think this project sounds fun, please contact Kerri.

For more on the project, click here.

 

Congratulations, Hannah!

Congrats to Hannah for winning the Distinguished Graduate/Professional Student Leader Award for her service to the Graduate and Professional Student Association! Not only is Hannah an amazing ecologist, she’s an excellent leader.

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