Prospective Students and Post-Docs

Information

Interested in joining us?

We’re always on the lookout for enthusiastic students with a background in ecology, freshwater science, biostatistics, or a related discipline who enjoy field research, thrive on data wrangling and crunching numbers, and/or engage in collaborative science. There are several ways that undergraduate students can get involved and gain valuable research experience. These include volunteer opportunities, paid assistantships, directed studies, or UBC Work Learn ↗ and NSERC USRA ↗ opportunities. If you are interested, please email me to share your background, the relevant courses you have taken, and the kinds of things you're interested in.

Graduate students are expected to implement existing and/or co-develop new research projects in consultation with Julian, the graduate student committee, and community partners, actively contribute to collaborative scholarship, and enjoy a dynamic environment that values working and playing hard. We welcome applicants with diverse experiences and perspectives. We strive to cultivate an inviting and pleasant work environment, and everyone in the lab is expected to abide by a code of conduct.

Updates

9/3/26 Now considering new graduate students for Fall 2027 at UBC. More details here.

Funding

Graduate Students (MSc, PhD)

Here are a few things you should know about funding. If we decide that my lab is a good fit for you, we need adequate funding in place to cover your tuition, benefits, and stipend before you officially apply to UBC and before I can extend an offer. This support typically comes from competitive research grants I've secured, which means the number of students I can accept varies from year to year. Students funded as research assistants (RAs) under my grants are generally expected to contribute directly to the broader project while also conducting their own research. Teaching assistant (TA) positions can also help fund your degree. Fellowships are another excellent funding route, since they let you focus on a project of your own choosing without the obligations of other research or teaching work. Each year, a limited number of fellowships may be available to students with outstanding academic records, though competition for them is steep. Alternatively, you can apply for external fellowships and bring the funding with you. For this reason, I strongly encourage all prospective students to apply for one or more fellowships. Please reach out if you are interested in working together on your NSERC Graduate Research Scholarship application. Students apply through the UBC Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Stewardship graduate program ↗, but only after emailing me to initiate a conversation and to determine if mutual interests exist.

Postdoctoral Fellows

We are very interested in prospective postdocs who strive to make a difference in freshwater ecology and conservation. We routinely advertise open positions and strongly encourage and support fellows in applying for independent funding, including NSERC PDF, Killam Postdoctoral, and Liber Ero fellowships.

Collaborators & Partners

We love hosting international graduate students and scholars for short and long visits. Reach out to Julian.

Lab Handbook

This is the handbook for the Olden Lab at the University of British Columbia. While it is still in progress, it will contain the policies and procedures that we follow, serving as reference material for onboarding, expectations, communications, data, publishing, presentations, and the use of AI in our research.

  • We want our lab to be a welcoming, supportive space for everyone — no matter your background, identity, appearance, or ability. We practice team science, built on trust and respect, because that's what makes real collaboration possible. We're always working to grow our skills and try new approaches, and we strongly believe in sharing what we know, whether through our words or our writing.

    As a group, we acknowledge that academic science suffers from a lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Science does not operate in a bubble, nor is it apolitical. Rather scientific issues are societal issues, and societal issues, such as racism, bias, and personal safety, are issues that the scientific community must address. We welcome, support, and advocate for community members from diverse backgrounds including those from different socioeconomic backgrounds, races and ethnicities, gender identities and sexualities, religions, disabilities, familial obligations, and other personal identities. 

  • We prioritize our collective wellbeing
    Our lab aims to be a place where everyone feels safe and welcome. We do better work — and enjoy the process more — when we look out for each other. Asking for help is encouraged, and helping others when we're able is something we do without hesitation.

    We value our differences
    We come from different backgrounds and life experiences, and we don't expect everyone to think, look, or engage the same way. Each of us brings something unique to the table, and how much we choose to share of ourselves is always our own call.

    We listen to understand
    We approach conversations with curiosity rather than judgment, aiming to understand where others are coming from and how their experiences have shaped their views. That means being fully present and staying open-minded, even when perspectives differ from our own.

    We own our impact, not just our intent
    Good intentions don't always prevent harm. We try to stay aware of how our words and actions land on others, and when we get it wrong, we're willing to acknowledge it and work to make things right.

    We treat mistakes as learning opportunities
    When things go wrong, we own it and move forward — without dwelling in self-criticism. We take time to understand what happened, figure out how to fix it, and use it to do better next time.

    We stay open to growth
    None of us has it all figured out, and we're always looking to improve how we work. We welcome honest, constructive feedback from one another as a tool for getting better.

    We bring our best
    Showing up isn't enough — we aim to show up fully. That means putting in real effort and bringing our best selves to the work.

    We mark our wins
    Research is full of setbacks, so when things go right — big or small — we take the time to notice and celebrate it.

    We make room for life beyond the lab
    Being well-rounded outside of work makes us better scientists and better people to work with. The people, pets, and communities in our lives outside of academia matter, and they deserve our time and attention too.

  • What should you expect from me as an advisor?

    Quite simply, I am an involved and passionate advisor. It is my responsibility to provide you with the resources and professional connections (or at least point you in the right direction) needed to ensure that you meet your career goals. I recognize that the needs of graduate students are not all the same. Some students prefer hands-on supervision, others prefer no supervision, while still others (and I would hazard to say, most students) fall somewhere between these two extremes. For this reason, I do not supervise all graduate students the same way. Together we will find the right balance. At the end of the day, I strive to make you a complete ecologist with the essential scientific and communication skills required for a successful and rewarding career in academia, government, non-profit, public sector or wherever you hope to be.

    What do I expect from you as a graduate student?

    I expect you to be hard working and passionate about your research. No, I really mean this. As a student in the Olden lab, you can expect to write grants, publish your work in peer-reviewed journals, create and deliver presentations at local and national meetings, interact with other faculty and graduate students across campus, and have one heck of a fun time doing it. Graduate school involves any number of sacrifices, and I anticipate you to make these when required. Do I expect your graduate research to consume every aspect of your life? Definitely no. Do I expect you to be committed to your work, excited about your research, and putting in the hours hard at work? Absolutely yes!

    Am I a good advisor?

    Great question. As someone contemplating graduate school, you have a lot to consider in choosing an advisor, a lab, and a university. Given this, I understand your need to find out as much as possible about me, the department and UBC before applying. Let me be the first to tell you that choosing an advisor and a graduate program is a difficult decision. I suggest that you contact my current or former graduate students to help decide if I am the right advisor for you.

Lab Philosophy

Our Lab’s mission is to benefit humanity by tackling pressing environmental problems. We aim to do so by being bold and thinking creatively about science, drawing on a diversity of backgrounds, approaches and ideas. Above all else, do good science and just be kind.

My lab maintains a formal Code of Conduct that establishes clear expectations for professionalism, inclusivity, and respectful collaboration among all team members. This document ensures a supportive and equitable research environment by outlining standards of behavior, mechanisms for addressing concerns, and a shared commitment to fostering a safe and productive scientific community. But before getting into the nitty-gritty of this document (which we do individually and as a group), you might be wondering what my broad expectations are for my students and post-docs.

Here are some things I promise you, and, in return, what I ask of you as a student.

Be part of the team. I value teamwork and collaboration, and I expect my students and post-docs to be engaged, enthusiastic and active members of the lab. This does not simply involve just taking part in lab meetings, but includes helping other lab members with analysis or field work, participating in lab extracurricular activities, assisting me with project management and logistics, valuing and respecting the time and skills of other lab members, and generally working to be an integral and important member of the lab.

Be productive. Graduate school is a full-time job, so I expect everyone in my lab to strive to work at their best and be as productive as possible. Being productive does not require working unreasonable hours; being productive is about working well and with intention. It’s about quality, not always quantity. I place a high value on life outside of work and school, and I do not expect my students to be in the office all the time.  However, if productivity is not at the level expected for graduate school, we will discuss and develop a plan to improve it, which might involve more in-person time in the office or lab .

Meet objectives on time. I will be clear about my expectations and the objectives that each person in my lab must meet. Those objectives might relate to research progress, teaching, publishing, data collection, and more. I expect that lab members will meet these objectives in the agreed-upon time frame. If there is any reason the objectives will not be met, I expect to know early so I can revise my expectations. Waiting until a deadline arrives to tell me it won’t be met is never a good thing and is never good practice. I expect students to respect my time, just as I respect their time.

Respond to emails/calls/requests in a timely manner. The definition of “timely” will vary depending on the nature of the request. I will try to include a specific timeline for response when the request requires a significant time investment. Generally, I expect a response to simple requests within 48 hours (excluding weekends), and. you can expect the same from me. Note that I will sometimes send emails at odd hours; this does NOT mean that I expect an immediate response. It just means that this is the time that works for me, so please do not panic if you here from me outside of work hours. 

Communicate. I expect my students and post-docs to communicate with me (both face-to-face and by email) regularly. This is super important to me. Communication includes (most importantly) keeping me in the loop on project development, as well as addressing any concerns regarding your work and schedules (e.g., if you will be away for extended periods of time). I need to know when things are going well and when they’re not; things can go off the rails rather quickly. Being proactive in communications is essential.

Develop a research project. A core part of graduate school and post-doctoral positions is developing research questions. I expect my students to do this with my input and guidance. The project will likely be a mix of my ideas and their ideas. 

Be organized. I expect students and post-docs to be organized. At any given time, I'm heavily involved in numerous other projects, so I can't keep my finger squarely on the pulse of everyone's work. Together, we'll set objectives and timelines for your project, and I expect you to plan how you'll meet them within the agreed-upon timeframe — or to flag roadblocks early, before they become deadline problems (see above!). This includes maintaining an individual professional development plan. Come to meetings with the relevant documents prepared in advance and with questions ready to go. Organization is a key ingredient of effective time management, which is essential for success in graduate school — and beyond.

Interact with people outside of academia. Research in our lab has real-world applications. To have any chance of making a difference in the world, our research needs to be conducted in collaboration with those who might use the results — including Indigenous communities, NGOs, government agencies, land and resource managers, and other stakeholders. This means more than just giving a presentation at the completion of a project. It means respecting the knowledge and expertise of these communities and organizations, and incorporating that knowledge from the earliest stages of a project — not just at the end. It also means genuinely receiving and responding to feedback on our research approaches, results, and applications, and recognizing that this collaboration may reshape our questions or methods along the way.

Science communication. Our lab prioritizes sharing knowledge with diverse audiences to inspire admiration for nature and improve public knowledge regarding how scientists tackle environmental problems and I expect my students to take part in some of our science outreach events. 

Be a good departmental citizen. I expect my lab to be a full participant in the departmental community. This involves attending events such as department seminars or serving on relevant committees (e.g., hiring committees, seminar organizing committees).

Apply for funding when appropriate. I will do my best to find funding for research, but at the same time, I expect my students to be on the lookout for any funding opportunities relevant to their program, whether it’s applying to a fellowship to get them through their final year or applying for funds to offset costs for attending conferences.

Be responsible for the program. I am aware of many deadlines and overall program requirements, but it’s also students’ responsibility to know which courses they need to take and when to take them. Being aware of deadlines is essential for supervisors and students.

Strive to finish on “time”. I expect MSc students to finish in around 2-2.5 years, and PhD students to finish in 4-5 years. There may be exceptions to this, given a whole variety of personal and professional circumstances. My role as academic guide is to help students through the program and to help design projects that are feasible within the time limits mentioned; students are also responsible for trying to meet these deadlines and communicating when they cannot. I am a very strong believer in avoiding ‘extended’ MSc or PhD programs: it is seldom a good idea.

Publish. Publishing our findings is not optional — it is the obligation that justifies the resources and trust invested in this lab. Science runs on a social contract: in exchange for the freedom to pursue curiosity-driven research, we owe the community accessible, peer-reviewed knowledge in return. Unpublished data benefits no one and breaks that contract, however interesting the result. Every member of this lab is expected to see publication not as a personal accolade, but as closing the loop that lets others build on, challenge, or verify our work.

Be responsible for data. I expect my students and post-docs to have good data management procedures and to generate reproducible results. I expect data backup to be happening on a regular basis. I also expect all data files and associated code will be well organized and shared with me prior to a student or post-doc leaving the lab. I expect that data and code associated with publications will be archived on a suitable data repository. 

Collaborate and mentor. I model a collaborative research approach and expect my lab members to share what they are doing with one another and to work collaboratively whenever possible. I expect my more senior members to mentor the lab’s junior members.

Read. Reading narrowly and broadly will help students become better scientists. I expect my graduate students to be aware of broader developments in science, as well as the specifics of their projects. We will read papers together as a lab to broaden everyone’s knowledge.

Communicate your science. Communicating science is a central skill for scientists. I will give students opportunities to go to conferences, and I expect my students to present their work at these conferences and to spend time and energy on developing effective science communication skills for citizens and policymakers. 

Be creative, take risks, have fun. Graduate school and post-doctoral positions are both wonderful times in a career. I will do my best to create an interesting, inclusive, supportive, and fun work environment. I hope this is an environment that will allow students to feel comfortable being creative and taking risks in order to develop more fully as scientists and people. I also hope that we can enjoy spending some non-work time together!