Research Opportunities

The BROADN PhD Program

Program at a Glance

Qualifications:
Interest in research on the aerobiome, learning to be a transdisciplinary scientist, and communicating your knowledge to a range of audiences

Disciplines:
All PhD programs relevant to BROADN research.

Cohorts and community:
Each PhD student is part of a learning cohort for courses, workshops, and activities. All PhD students are members of the BROADN community with a diverse group of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and undergraduate researchers.

PhD Student Support:

All BROADN-supported students will receive stipend funding ($34,000/year), tuition, and partial fee coverage as allowed by the University, as well as $5,000 for expenses such as a computer and conference travel. During the program, the PhD students will participate in a BROADN research project related to their research interests. After the first period of BROADN funding support, the student’s advisor(s) will provide support and the student will continue their research in a BROADN-relevant topic.

Program Overview

BROADN will provide exciting research and educational opportunities for annual cohorts of PhD students. Candidates should be passionate about becoming leaders in aerobiome research, working across disciplines, and communicating about their scientific activities.

The BROADN PhD program complements a student’s home PhD program, from which they will earn their degree.

The BROADN PhD program begins with two semesters of education, training, and development of research skills, while gaining knowledge of aerobiome research. In addition to the courses required by their home PhD program, specific BROADN activities in which first-year students will participate include:

Aerobiome Foundations course: PhD students will complete this team-taught, interdisciplinary course that spans the range of topics critical to the aerobiome.
Workshops: As a cohort, PhD students will participate in engaging workshops on the Science of Team Science, DEI, science communication, and other topics.
Research experiences: Each PhD student will spend time in research groups in at least two of BROADN’s goals, learning first-hand about the concepts, methods, and data that are involved.
Outreach: Each year, the PhD student cohort will develop and deliver an outreach activity related to BROADN.

Throughout their PhD studies, students will be involved with the annual BROADN symposium as presenters and organizers, will mentor undergraduate researchers, and will participate in outreach activities

Apply for a BROADN PhD program fellowship

PhD students applying to enter the BROADN program may either be entering CSU for their graduate studies or already in a graduate program at CSU.

To apply to the BROADN PhD program, interested students should review the research goals and faculty mentors on the program website, and complete and submit our application form.

Co-advising arrangements, especially those that span disciplines, are welcomed. If a prospective student would like to work under the supervision of a CSU faculty member who is not currently affiliated with the BROADN program, they should discuss their interest with the faculty member and contact Prof. Sue Vandewoude, PI of the BROADN program.

Apply

2024 Applications

For PhD studies beginning in Fall 2024, applications will be evaluated beginning Monday, February 13, 2024. Applications received after that date will be evaluated until all positions are filled.

Questions?

Contact our team

2024 Summer Research for Undergraduates (REU) in Aerobiome Research

Have you ever considered the air to be a place that is full of living microscopic organisms that is constantly changing?

Our team of researchers has, and we are working together to investigate a wide range of important and unanswered questions:

What microbes are in the air?
Where do they come from, and where do they go?
What do they do while they are in the air?

If these sound like interesting questions to you, then consider joining our team of diverse scientists for a unique and exciting summer research program.

The BROADN REU program at Colorado State University is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and offers undergraduates a mentored research experience to work with a diverse team of scientists to investigate how the microbiome of the air is altered by environmental stresses, and how it impacts human, animal, and environmental health. Our goal is to train undergraduate researchers in the interdisciplinary laboratories conducting research aligned with BROADN’s research goals.

We also strive to honor CSU’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

BROADN will host a summer REU program at Colorado State University's Fort Collins Campus from May 28 - August 2, 2024.

Application Deadline: Wednesday, February 28, 2024 by 11:59 PM

Eligibility criteria:

Students who will graduate at the end of spring semester 2024 are not eligible for this program.
Participants must be either U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. or its possessions (NSF requirement).

During the application process, you will be asked to submit unofficial course transcripts and provide email contact information for one person who can write a letter of recommendation for you. Letters of recommendation must be submitted by the application deadline. For assistance or questions regarding letters of recommendation, please see here.

Participants will:

Conduct original scientific research on a project in a BROADN advisor’s research group.
Participate in a cohort of undergraduate students working on interrelated projects in parallel.
Develop professional skills for communicating science (elevator speeches, formal presentations, science communication in popular media).
Discuss resources for professional pathways in STEM careers.

Participants will receive:

A stipend of $600/week for 10 weeks ($6,000 total). These funds are considered a scholarship/fellowship and may be taxable. NOTE: If you receive financial aid, please check with your Office of Financial Aid prior to accepting the stipend, regarding any potential impacts to your financial aid package.
Room and board (includes on-campus housing and a meal plan).
Roundtrip travel coverage to and from the CSU Fort Collins campus.

For more information or questions about the application process, please contact: [email protected], BROADN REU program director.