opportunities

Our lab is housed in the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida Gulf Coast University. FGCU offers a Master’s degree in Biology. There is no PhD program at FGCU.

Prospective Master’s students

I am open to working with master’s students on questions related to bird speciation, macroevolution, phylogenetics, systematics. See more details about the work we do on the projects page. Any prospective Master’s students must fill out the Master’s Exploration form and contact Dr. Johnson at least two months in advance of the school application deadlines. We will then set up an in person meeting or zoom call to conduct an interview to determine if you are a good fit for the lab, before proceeding with applying to the graduate school.

For more details on how to apply to graduate school in biology, I highly recommend this very detailed website by Dr. Brian O’Meara.

As of summer 2026, the lab is not currently accepting new Master’s students, but I anticipate having at least one position open for Fall 2028.

Prospective undergraduate students

The FGCU Biology B.S. program requires all students to complete a senior thesis through a two-course series taken during the senior year; BSC 4910C Senior Project I: Research, and BSC 4911 Senior Project II: Presentation. Based on the time commitment needed, I am able to mentor 3-5 new undergraduates each academic year. Because senior research is an intensive course series that involves learning considerable specialized skills, any prospective undergraduates should join the lab at least one year in advance of their senior year, which can take the form of Directed Independent study (BSC 4900), as a volunteer, or conducting service-learning hours. Contact Dr. Johnson via email for more information.