Introduction
Research in my lab focuses on
the ecology and evolution of animal vocal behaviour and animal mating
strategies, with a focus on wild birds. If you are interested
in joining my lab as a graduate student, please read the information
below.
I am
always interested in
hearing
from students who want to pursue graduate studies on the behavioural
ecology of bird song.
Project
Ideas
I encourage all of my students to develop graduate
research
projects that match their individual interests while falling within the
framework of my research expertise. You may interact directly
with one
of my ongoing research
projects or you may develop your own project. Most
projects in my lab involve a field-based component and a lab-based
component. Within Canada, field work is possible in the vicinity of
University of Windsor's campus around the Great Lakes, at Point Pelee
National Park, or at
Queen's University Biological Station. Within Costa Rica, field work is
possible in Santa Rosa National Park of the
Guanacaste
Conservation Area. Presently, I
have ongoing field projects in Canada on the behavioural
ecology and communication strategies of non-migratory songbirds
including black-capped chickadees. In
Costa Rica, I am presently working on the behaviour and ecology of
non-migratory, territorial birds, with a special focus on the duetting
behaviour of neotropical birds. You can learn more about my
current research projects by visiting my
publications
page.
My lab is equipped with advanced equipment for field
studies of animal behaviour and communication. In my lab
you can develop a research project using digital recording equipment,
interactive playback equipment, multi-speaker playback equipment,
multi-channel array recording equipment, and high precision GPS
equipment. The lab component of your
research can involve computer-based analyses of single-channel and
multi-channel field recordings and GIS analysis of spatial data. In
collaboration with my colleagues, you can also have access to advanced
facilities for laboratory analyses including
microsatellite
paternity analyses, analyses of genetic relatedness, molecular sex
assignment, and hormone analyses.
What to expect in the Mennill Lab
My lab is a dynamic and interactive place. You can
expect to interact with me and with the other graduate and
undergraduate students in the lab on a
frequent basis. During weekly lab meetings we review
current literature, read each others' manuscripts and grant proposals,
and help each other to develop project ideas and analytical
techniques. You can expect to develop skills in data
analysis and data presentation. I will encourage you and assist
you in preparing your research for publication in scientific
journals. I will also encourage you to present the results of
your research at scientific meetings. I expect
you to work hard and to approach your studies with a critical eye and a
creative state of mind. We often meet socially on Friday afternoons and
we have several lab social events every semester, often involving a
birdwatching expedition with a visiting guest speaker. Many
more social activities are organized by the Department of Biology
Graduate Students Association (
DBGSA).
Funding
Funding to work in my lab is available through a variety
of
sources. Windsor University provides a competitive funding package
to graduate students. Funding comes in the form
of Graduate Teaching Assistantships, Research Assistantships, and
scholarships. I
encourage you to apply for scholarships from NSERC (link:
www.nserc.ca, go to "Information for
Students and Fellows") and from OGS (link:
osap.gov.on.ca).
If you are not familiar with these programs, I can help you learn about
the application process. Details about grad student support, as well as
other information about my department, can be found at
www.uwindsor.ca/biology (click on
the Grad Students link along the left-hand side and choose Biological
Sciences Graduate Studies). I encourage all of my students to apply to
the many
granting agencies who support graduate student research (see
BirdNet
for a
comprehensive list of all grants available).
University
of Windsor
The University of Windsor is an excellent research university in
southern
Ontario. Historically recognized for a strong teaching program, over
the last ten years the University has recruited many outstanding
researchers in Canada within the field of Avian Ecology and Aquatic
Ecology. The Ecology Evolution Environment and Behaviour (EEEB) group
is comprised of a diverse group of research scientists that are some of
the most outstanding research-oriented biologists in Canada. Students
in my lab interact closely with Dr. Stephanie
Doucet, who
studies the evolutionary ecology of animal colouration, Dr. Trevor
Pitcher, who studies
the ecology and evolution of mating systems in fish and birds, Dr.
Oliver Love, who
studies hormones and behaviour in wild birds, and Dr.
Dennis Higgs, who studies fish sensory biology and fish
bioacoustics. Other
prominent ecologists in the
department include Dr.
Doug Haffner (CRC) who studies aquatic ecology and ecotoxicology, Dr.
Hugh
MacIsaac (DFO research chair) who studies the ecology of invasive
species, and Dr.
Jan Ciborowski who studies aquatic ecology. Dr.
Daniel Heath (CRC) and Dr. Melania Cristescu and an excellent group of
molecular biology
professors in
the department run state-of-the-art genetics programs, which you may
interact with during your graduate studies. You can access my
colleagues' webpages through
this link.
We bring in a wide
variety of
guest speakers to the
University of Windsor through the Departmental Seminar Series and
through the Behaviour Cognition and Neuroscience Seminar Series.
Recently we have hosted very stimulating visits from Dr. Ryan Norris
(stable isotopes and birds), Dr. Jeff Podos
(vocal behaviour in birds), Dr. David Lahti
(the evolution of behaviour), Dr. Beth MacDougall-Shackleton (song and
mate choice in sparrows), Dr. Nigel
Mann (vocal duetting in wrens), Dr. Ben Evans (tropical conservation
biology), Dr. Angelika
Poesel (vocal communication in blue tits), Dr. Geoff Hill (plumage
signaling in house finches), Dr. Gail Patricelli (sexual selection in
satin bowerbirds), Dr. Chris Sturdy (vocal perception in
chickadees), Dr. Jim Quinn
(cooperative breeding in anis), Dr. John Burt (vocal communiation in
birds), and Dr. Michael Kasumovic (sexual slelection in spiders).
If you are interested in
graduate work in
my lab, please read some of my recent publications (available at my
publications page) and then contact me to
introduce yourself (dmennill
ATuwindsor
DOTca). Please include your
CV and a brief explanation of your
research interests.
Note to non-Canadians; the University of Windsor's short-sighted
decision to
increase
international grad student tuition makes
graduate studies for non-Canadians very expensive, so that it is
challenging for me to take on non-Canadians unless they have
independent
funding.
