Join the Schmitt Lab!
I'm always looking for enthusiastic scholars excited about our research to join the lab, from the undergraduate level through postdoctoral research. Please see specific information about each pathway into the lab, below.
As a queer man with close family who are Black, and who grew up under challenging financial circumstances, I am keenly aware of the ways in which STEM fields and academia more broadly can be unwelcoming to those who have experienced the world in the same way as I and my loved ones have. If you want to learn more about how I take this into account in my research and teaching, please see my statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the SMAGL.
If you identify with a group that is underrepresented in the biological sciences (non-white, non-male, non-heterosexual, first generation college student, religious, are a single parent) and are interested in graduate education in my lab, please consider applying to the BU Biology Graduate Diversity Preview Program.
Contact Information
Please direct all initial inquiries to Prof. Christopher Schmitt: caschmit [at] bu [dot] edu
For more information about my field sites, research, and previous work, please look around this site and see the Links page or email me at the address above.
As a queer man with close family who are Black, and who grew up under challenging financial circumstances, I am keenly aware of the ways in which STEM fields and academia more broadly can be unwelcoming to those who have experienced the world in the same way as I and my loved ones have. If you want to learn more about how I take this into account in my research and teaching, please see my statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the SMAGL.
If you identify with a group that is underrepresented in the biological sciences (non-white, non-male, non-heterosexual, first generation college student, religious, are a single parent) and are interested in graduate education in my lab, please consider applying to the BU Biology Graduate Diversity Preview Program.
Contact Information
Please direct all initial inquiries to Prof. Christopher Schmitt: caschmit [at] bu [dot] edu
For more information about my field sites, research, and previous work, please look around this site and see the Links page or email me at the address above.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Unfortunately, the Schmitt Lab does not currently have dedicated funding for a postdoctoral research associate.
If you are interested in conducting a postdoc in the lab, please contact Prof. Schmitt with a funding source in mind (prior to applying!). Here's an extensive list of postdoctoral funding sources, which include the following:
Department of Biology Postdoctoral Associate Lectureship, Boston University
National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellows Program
Life Sciences Research Foundation
David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellowship
If you are interested in conducting a postdoc in the lab, please contact Prof. Schmitt with a funding source in mind (prior to applying!). Here's an extensive list of postdoctoral funding sources, which include the following:
Department of Biology Postdoctoral Associate Lectureship, Boston University
National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellows Program
Life Sciences Research Foundation
David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellowship
Graduate Students
Currently, the Schmitt Lab accepts both Masters and Doctoral level students in a variety of academic programs at Boston University. Please contact Prof. Schmitt (via email) before applying. Please follow the links for program and application details.
Doctoral Students
Ph.D. Program in Biological Anthropology
I am not currently accepting applicants for the Ph.D. Program in Biology.
Masters Students
Master of Arts in Applied and Public Anthropology
Master of Science in Biology (Ecology, Behavior & Evolution)
Doctoral Students
Ph.D. Program in Biological Anthropology
I am not currently accepting applicants for the Ph.D. Program in Biology.
Masters Students
Master of Arts in Applied and Public Anthropology
Master of Science in Biology (Ecology, Behavior & Evolution)
Undergraduate Students (at BU)
Undergraduate students at Boston University are welcome to join the lab!
Although not required, students in Anthropology are strongly encouraged to have taken CAS AN 102 and/or CAS AN 233. Students in Anthropology and Biology are expected to take CAS AN/BI 333 (Human Population Genetics), and CAS AN/BI 588 (Project Design and Statistics in Biological Anthropology) either prior to or during their time conducting research in the lab.
Undergraduate funding may be available through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. Students are required to be lab members in good standing for at least one semester prior to applying for UROP funds.
Undergraduates with junior or senior status may conduct research in the Schmitt Lab for credit. Students may NOT conduct research for credit in the same semester in which they receive UROP funding. Students conducting research for credit must register for either AN 491/492 (1-4 credits; Directed Study in Anthropology) or any of the course numbers associated with Research for Credit in Biology.
Undergraduate students can and are encouraged to conduct Honors research in the Schmitt Lab in either Anthropology (Biological Anthropology), or Biology (Ecology, Behavior, & Evolution). Prior to applying for Honors, each student must discuss their potential project with Prof. Schmitt. Juniors with a 3.5 GPA or higher are eligible to apply. Each program also has unique coursework and thesis requirements.
Although not required, students in Anthropology are strongly encouraged to have taken CAS AN 102 and/or CAS AN 233. Students in Anthropology and Biology are expected to take CAS AN/BI 333 (Human Population Genetics), and CAS AN/BI 588 (Project Design and Statistics in Biological Anthropology) either prior to or during their time conducting research in the lab.
Undergraduate funding may be available through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. Students are required to be lab members in good standing for at least one semester prior to applying for UROP funds.
Undergraduates with junior or senior status may conduct research in the Schmitt Lab for credit. Students may NOT conduct research for credit in the same semester in which they receive UROP funding. Students conducting research for credit must register for either AN 491/492 (1-4 credits; Directed Study in Anthropology) or any of the course numbers associated with Research for Credit in Biology.
Undergraduate students can and are encouraged to conduct Honors research in the Schmitt Lab in either Anthropology (Biological Anthropology), or Biology (Ecology, Behavior, & Evolution). Prior to applying for Honors, each student must discuss their potential project with Prof. Schmitt. Juniors with a 3.5 GPA or higher are eligible to apply. Each program also has unique coursework and thesis requirements.
Internships / Undergraduate Students Outside BU
The Schmitt Lab does not currently have funding for interns, but interns who bring their own funding are welcome to apply.
Volunteer interns may apply on an individual basis.
Volunteer interns may apply on an individual basis.
Field Assistantships
Think this sounds like something you’d like to do? Do you already have some experience with camping, primates, the tropics, biology, etc and want to get some more? I'm searching for several self-reliant and durable field assistants to work on projects! Assistants may be responsible for collecting social behavior, foraging, ranging, demographic, and life history data as well as fecal samples for hormonal and genetic analyses from multiple social groups in South American taxa, or for helping with trapping and data collection with wild vervet monkeys in sites around the Free State and Eastern Cape of South Africa. Other responsibilities may include monthly plant phenological monitoring, tree and trail mapping, data entry, and opportunistic data collection for other ongoing primate studies at any given site.
Assistants will not be allowed to collect data for publication independent of established research projects - e.g. for their own theses. Ideally, this experience will be seen as an internship for your own future research. I do, however, strongly encourage assistants to work with me coauthoring papers based on or stemming from the data they assist in collecting. If you are interested in pursuing a graduate degree that involves fieldwork in the tropics, this should be a fantastic experience.
Qualifications/Experience
Applicants should have a BS/BA in Biology, Ecology, Animal Behavior, Genetics/Genomics, Physical Anthropology, Primatology, or a related field. Although previous experience with primates is not necessary, previous experience with animals, camping, or working outdoors is strongly preferred. The ideal applicant should have prior experience with living or working in a foreign country, preferably a developing country in the tropics. For Latin American sites, knowledge of Spanish is helpful, but not necessary. Experience with collecting systematic data in a scientific context is preferred, and a strong interest in primate behavior, physiology, and ecology a must. In general, applicants must be in good condition; feel comfortable being far away from family and friends; be emotionally mature, energetic, and very patient; have an excellent eye for detail; not be afraid of bugs, snakes, or being alone in the forest; have very good social skills, especially in small groups; and be able to maintain a positive and humorous attitude towards challenging and tiring work.
This work will be rigorous and demanding. Assistants will be expected to work about 12 hours in the field each day, about 25 days out of each month. The terrain in the research sites can be quite hilly in places, seasonally floods in others, and the climate is often hot, humid, and rainy (while in South Africa it can be quite cold) - thus persistence, maturity, dedication, and good humor are very important. Preference will be given to applicants with previous outdoor experience in demanding environments.
Salary/Funding
Funding depends on the project. Generally, applicants must pay their own round-trip airfare to sites and for travel within country to and from the research locale (although these may be reimbursed at the end of the research period). Assistants are also responsible for the costs of obtaining a visa to work in country, for health insurance and immunizations that permit that work (proof of yellow fever immunization is a must; vaccination against tetanus, typhoid, rabies, hepatitis A and B, etc., are all also strongly recommended), and their own personal field clothes and gear.
Term of Appointment
Minimum 3 month commitment; 6-12 months commitment preferred.
Application Details
Applicants will be taken until all positions are filled, year-round. Interviewing will be done as prospective candidates are found. Starting dates are negotiable, with multiple positions available. Serious applicants please email to receive a field guide describing projects in more detail. If still interested after reading the guide, please submit via email the following:
1. CV including relevant coursework, previous field/outdoor experience, where/how you can be contacted.
2. Letter of interest (please include dates you are available).
3. References from two persons (preferably professors or research supervisors with whom you’ve worked closely) in which they provide information about your experiences, skills, and training.
Contact Information
Please direct all initial inquiries to Christopher Schmitt: caschmit [at] bu [dot] edu
For more information about the field sites, research, and previous work in the area, please look around this site and see the Links page or email me at the address above.
Assistants will not be allowed to collect data for publication independent of established research projects - e.g. for their own theses. Ideally, this experience will be seen as an internship for your own future research. I do, however, strongly encourage assistants to work with me coauthoring papers based on or stemming from the data they assist in collecting. If you are interested in pursuing a graduate degree that involves fieldwork in the tropics, this should be a fantastic experience.
Qualifications/Experience
Applicants should have a BS/BA in Biology, Ecology, Animal Behavior, Genetics/Genomics, Physical Anthropology, Primatology, or a related field. Although previous experience with primates is not necessary, previous experience with animals, camping, or working outdoors is strongly preferred. The ideal applicant should have prior experience with living or working in a foreign country, preferably a developing country in the tropics. For Latin American sites, knowledge of Spanish is helpful, but not necessary. Experience with collecting systematic data in a scientific context is preferred, and a strong interest in primate behavior, physiology, and ecology a must. In general, applicants must be in good condition; feel comfortable being far away from family and friends; be emotionally mature, energetic, and very patient; have an excellent eye for detail; not be afraid of bugs, snakes, or being alone in the forest; have very good social skills, especially in small groups; and be able to maintain a positive and humorous attitude towards challenging and tiring work.
This work will be rigorous and demanding. Assistants will be expected to work about 12 hours in the field each day, about 25 days out of each month. The terrain in the research sites can be quite hilly in places, seasonally floods in others, and the climate is often hot, humid, and rainy (while in South Africa it can be quite cold) - thus persistence, maturity, dedication, and good humor are very important. Preference will be given to applicants with previous outdoor experience in demanding environments.
Salary/Funding
Funding depends on the project. Generally, applicants must pay their own round-trip airfare to sites and for travel within country to and from the research locale (although these may be reimbursed at the end of the research period). Assistants are also responsible for the costs of obtaining a visa to work in country, for health insurance and immunizations that permit that work (proof of yellow fever immunization is a must; vaccination against tetanus, typhoid, rabies, hepatitis A and B, etc., are all also strongly recommended), and their own personal field clothes and gear.
Term of Appointment
Minimum 3 month commitment; 6-12 months commitment preferred.
Application Details
Applicants will be taken until all positions are filled, year-round. Interviewing will be done as prospective candidates are found. Starting dates are negotiable, with multiple positions available. Serious applicants please email to receive a field guide describing projects in more detail. If still interested after reading the guide, please submit via email the following:
1. CV including relevant coursework, previous field/outdoor experience, where/how you can be contacted.
2. Letter of interest (please include dates you are available).
3. References from two persons (preferably professors or research supervisors with whom you’ve worked closely) in which they provide information about your experiences, skills, and training.
Contact Information
Please direct all initial inquiries to Christopher Schmitt: caschmit [at] bu [dot] edu
For more information about the field sites, research, and previous work in the area, please look around this site and see the Links page or email me at the address above.