Interested in research in the Barrick lab?

We are always looking for outstanding undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdocs who are interested in experimental evolution, synthetic biology, microbial genomics, and more. Our lab is an interdisciplinary environment that welcomes researchers with backgrounds in computer science, physics, microbiology, molecular biology, evolutionary biology, and more.

Graduate Students

Ph.D. students in the Barrick lab generally enter through the following programs:

1. Microbiology
2. Cellular and Molecular Biology (CMB)
3. Biochemistry
4. Ecology, Evolution, & Behavior (EEB)

For the first three programs (Micro/CMB/Biochem) you do not apply specifically to work in the Barrick lab. Instead, there is a rotation system where you try out different labs for 10 weeks each during the first year before choosing a home. There are slight differences in coursework and procedures between the programs, which may make one a better fit than another, but they are very similar overall. Students with mathematics, computer science, or physics backgrounds and those interested in bioinformatics should usually enter through CMB.

The EEB program operates differently. Students are expected to have contacted one or a few prospective research advisors before applying to this program. If your application passes the admission criteria, and one of these advisors is willing to accept you into their lab at this point, then you will be admitted. The program of coursework is also very different in EEB. The Barrick lab only very rarely admits students through EEB. We often encourage students thinking about this route to apply to the Microbiology or CMB programs instead. These programs give the opportunity of doing laboratory rotations and joining many of the same labs.

In all cases, if you are very interested in working specifically in the Barrick lab, you should contact Prof. Barrick explaining your background, specific research interests, and why you'd like to attend UT and work in the Barrick Lab.

Undergraduate Students

We accept a limited number of excellent undergraduates to work in the lab when space is available. Research experiences are not available for durations of less than one year. Students who work in the lab on experimental projects have generally completed the Freshman Research Initiative (FRI) program.

Undergraduates are expected to prepare a short proposal and final report for each semester (fall, spring, summer) that they work in lab, even if they are not signed up for research credit.

• Proposal Template (complete by the second full week of the semester)
• Report Template (complete by finals week)

Dr. Barrick is also the faculty mentor for the University of Texas iGEM team. If you are interested in being part of the UT iGEM team, please email the team.

High School Students

We are not currently able to accept high school students for research experiences unless they begin their work at UT through another program such as the Summer High School Research Academy.