{"id":427,"date":"2026-02-22T00:24:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T00:24:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/science.umces.edu\/graylab\/?page_id=427"},"modified":"2026-02-22T02:50:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T02:50:34","slug":"prospective-students","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/science.umces.edu\/graylab\/lab-home-page\/prospective-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Prospective Students"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"686\" data-end=\"1051\"><strong data-start=\"686\" data-end=\"702\">The Gray Lab<\/strong> (UMCES) studies how coastal organisms\u2014especially oysters\u2014respond to environmental change, with a focus on physiology, climate stress tolerance, and applications to aquaculture and restoration. We combine fieldwork, controlled experiments, and quantitative analysis to produce research that is both mechanistic and relevant to real-world management.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Science Diving in Breton Bay\" width=\"860\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/szvUNf1o1Vk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"1058\" data-end=\"1086\">Research in the Gray Lab<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"1087\" data-end=\"1121\">Projects in the lab often involve:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sustainable shellfish aquaculture and technology development<\/li>\n<li>Shellfish hatchery production diagnostics<\/li>\n<li>Aquaculture\u2013environment interactions<\/li>\n<li>Stress-priming and resilience in aquaculture and restoration contexts<\/li>\n<li>Modeling ecological outcomes from oyster restoration<\/li>\n<li>Ocean acidification and climate variability impacts on early life stages<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"1497\" data-end=\"1525\"><strong data-start=\"47\" data-end=\"75\">Training and Lab Culture<\/strong><br data-start=\"75\" data-end=\"78\" \/>Students in the Gray Lab gain hands-on experience designing and running experiments from start to finish, integrating field and laboratory methods (including sensor-based measurements), and developing quantitative skills to analyze complex biological datasets. Training also emphasizes scientific writing, publishing, and presenting at conferences, as well as collaboration with agencies, industry partners, and international colleagues. I prioritize mentorship and work to create a lab environment where students can pursue ambitious science while building practical skills and professional confidence.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"431\" data-end=\"677\"><strong data-start=\"431\" data-end=\"499\">IMPORTANT: I\u2019m not accepting new graduate students at this time.<\/strong><br data-start=\"499\" data-end=\"502\" \/>When that changes, I will post it <strong data-start=\"536\" data-end=\"565\">on the Gray Lab home page<\/strong> and share it through my <strong data-start=\"590\" data-end=\"606\">social media<\/strong>. If you don\u2019t see an announcement, assume I\u2019m not actively recruiting.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"679\" data-end=\"1283\">Graduate school can be incredibly rewarding\u2014but it\u2019s also demanding in ways that aren\u2019t always obvious from the outside. Before you email me, spend some time thinking carefully about (1) <strong data-start=\"866\" data-end=\"873\">why<\/strong> you want graduate training and (2) <strong data-start=\"909\" data-end=\"925\">why this lab<\/strong> is a good fit for you. If you\u2019re coming straight from undergrad, it\u2019s totally normal not to have that clarity yet. In many cases, a year or two as a technician, intern, or research assistant (during or after undergrad) is the experience that helps you sharpen your interests and figure out what kind of mentoring and research environment you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1285\" data-end=\"1814\">If you\u2019re reading this and thinking, \u201cYes\u2014this is exactly what I want,\u201d then great. The next step is to show me you\u2019ve done your homework. Take a look at our <strong data-start=\"1443\" data-end=\"1461\">research areas<\/strong> and <strong data-start=\"1466\" data-end=\"1489\">recent publications<\/strong> to get a feel for the kinds of questions we ask and the tools we use. The Gray Lab sits at the intersection of marine physiology, environmental change, and applied work in aquaculture\/restoration\u2014so I\u2019m excited by students who are curious, interdisciplinary, and willing to build skills across field, lab, and data analysis.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"1816\" data-end=\"1861\">How to reach out (when I <em data-start=\"1845\" data-end=\"1849\">am<\/em> recruiting)<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"1862\" data-end=\"1967\">When I\u2019m actively taking students and you think there\u2019s a strong fit, email me (mgray[at]umces.edu) with:<\/p>\n<ol data-start=\"1969\" data-end=\"2255\">\n<li data-start=\"1969\" data-end=\"2068\">\n<p data-start=\"1972\" data-end=\"2068\"><strong data-start=\"1972\" data-end=\"1993\">A short paragraph<\/strong> on your interests and why you\u2019re reaching out specifically to <em data-start=\"2056\" data-end=\"2062\">this<\/em> lab<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2069\" data-end=\"2091\">\n<p data-start=\"2072\" data-end=\"2091\"><strong data-start=\"2072\" data-end=\"2083\">Your CV<\/strong> (PDF)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2092\" data-end=\"2255\">\n<p data-start=\"2095\" data-end=\"2255\"><strong data-start=\"2095\" data-end=\"2121\">A brief writing sample<\/strong> <em data-start=\"2122\" data-end=\"2126\">or<\/em> a <strong data-start=\"2129\" data-end=\"2161\">1\u20132 page \u201cmock project idea\u201d<\/strong> you\u2019d be excited to pursue (doesn\u2019t need to be perfect\u2014this is about fit, focus, and writing)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p data-start=\"2257\" data-end=\"2408\">That last item is important. Clear writing is one of the most valuable (and underrated) research skills, and it also helps me understand how you think.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"2410\" data-end=\"2431\">A note on funding<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"2432\" data-end=\"2765\">For prospective PhD students: plan on applying for <strong data-start=\"2483\" data-end=\"2507\">graduate fellowships<\/strong>. If I have project funding that aligns with your interests, that can support a student\u2014but funding isn\u2019t always predictable. Fellowships can make a huge difference in flexibility (and in reducing or avoiding TA obligations, unless you want that experience).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Gray Lab (UMCES) studies how coastal organisms\u2014especially oysters\u2014respond to environmental change, with a focus on physiology, climate stress tolerance, and applications to aquaculture and restoration. We combine fieldwork, controlled experiments, and quantitative analysis to produce research that is both <span class=\"readmore\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/science.umces.edu\/graylab\/lab-home-page\/prospective-students\/\">Read More &#8230;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":447,"parent":69,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-427","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/science.umces.edu\/graylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/science.umces.edu\/graylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/science.umces.edu\/graylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/science.umces.edu\/graylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/science.umces.edu\/graylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=427"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/science.umces.edu\/graylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":448,"href":"https:\/\/science.umces.edu\/graylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/427\/revisions\/448"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/science.umces.edu\/graylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/69"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/science.umces.edu\/graylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/science.umces.edu\/graylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}