AT UCSB
Anthropology
Anthro has a teaching/reference collection of skeletal material of vertebrates that is largely focused to the interpretation of human habitation sites, but the collection and associated courses can be invaluable to students interested in questions of hard-part anatomy of vertebrates.
- Amy Boddy - evolution, genomics, comparative genomics, human biology, evolutionary medicine, fetal-maternal conflict, life history theory, cancer
- Michelle Brown - primate behavioral ecology, evolution of social systems, competition and cooperation, evolutionary game theory, behavioral endocrinology
- Steven Gaulin – Evolutionary psychology
- Mike Gurven - human social behavior and life history evolution
- Amber Vanderwarker - Ethnobotany and zooarcheology
Biomolecular Science and Engineering (BMSE)
The Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Biomolecular Science and Engineering epitomizes the highly interdisciplinary approach to research and education that is the hallmark of UC Santa Barbara. In this context BMSE offers a unique mix for graduate training and research at the frontiers of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering and Biomolecular Materials. The BMSE Program may be for graduates, but an examination of Faculty research pages will lead you to some laboratories working on the forefront of materials and nano-technology where you might find a research option. See particularly:
- Cherie Briggs (EEMB)
- Deborah Fygenson (Physics)
- Jean Carlson (Physics)
- Dan Morse (MCDB)
- Megan Valentine (Mechanical Engineering)
The Bren School of Environmental Sciences and Policy
The Bren School is technically a graduate program. However, there are some good biological folk there, and if you can talk your way in, so much the better:
- Kelly Caylor (Ecology and hydrology of dry lands)
- Frank Davis (Biogeography, plant ecology)
- Ben Halpern (Marine Ecology and conservation)
- Patrica Holden (Microbial Ecology),
- Bruce Kendall (Modeling and quantitative ecology of plant and animal populations)
- Ashley Larsen (Ecology of managed systems)
- Hunter Lenihan (Restoration ecology, marine ecology)
- John Melack (Aquatic systems)
Environmental Studies
- Carla D'Antonio is interested in invasive plants and general questions of plants in the human sphere - and is a neat person.
- Oliver Chadwick – Soils
- Jordan Clarke – Hydrology
Department of Earth Science
The department has several mass spectrometric facilities focused upon paleoclimatology recorded by isotopes of Carbon, Oxygen, strontium and others. These isotopes can be used to track other things too. The Paleontological Collections. Ostensibly part of the Museum of Systematics and Ecology, but housed in PSB South. Largely focused upon invertebrate fossils, particularly of the last 60 million years of southern California.
- Bruce Tiffney – Paleobotany
- Stan Awramik – Origin and early history of life, astrobiology
- Susannah Porter – Origins of animals, invertebrate paleontology
- Andre Wyss – Vertebrate Paleontology, origin of pinnipeds, biogeography
- David Valentine – microbial biogeochemistry
- David Lea - Really a geochemist, but with spectacular abilities with isotopes and CCS friendly.
- Morgan Raven - Biogeochemistry of sulfur
Geography
Extraordinary strengths in remote sensing; both in the use of existing technology and the development of new technologies. Very important for any research involving widespread geographic coverage.
- Susan Cassels - Epidemiology & Mathematical modeling; social network analysis; infectious disease epidemiology.
- Timothy DeVries - Interactions between chemical, biological, and physical processes in the marine carbon cycle, and in feedbacks between these processes and the Earth's climate
- Hugo Loaciaga: Hydrology and Geology
- Ed Keller: Hydrology and Geology
- Keith Clarke: Remote Sensing
- Jennifer King: Biogeochemistry, earth system science, global change, ecosystem ecology
- David Lopez-Carr: Human dimensions of global environmental change
- Joe McFadden: Land-use and land-cover change, biosphere-atmosphere interaction
- Dar Roberts: Remote sensing of vegetation, geology, ecology, and ecophysiology
- David Siegel : Interdisciplinary oceanography investigating physical, biological, optical and biogeochemical couplings on micro to ocean basin scales.
- Anna Trugman: Using plant physiology, integrating field measurements with numerical ecosystem models to gain new insight into the biological processes affecting climate-vegetation interactions.
- Kelly Caylor: Ecology and hydrology of dry lands.
Psychology
The Evolutionary Psychology program has strong ties to the Neurobiology Research Institute. People include:
- Ben Reese (Neuroanatomy)
- Michael Goard (Mammalian neocortical brain function)
- Skirmantas Janusonis (Neuroscience and Behavior)
- Tod Kippen (Neuroscience and Behavior)
- Karen Szumlinksi (Neuroscience and Behavior)
- Ben Reese (Developmental Neurobiology)
- Ikuko Smith (Neuroscience and Behavior)
- Emily Jacobs - how sex steroid hormones shape the neural circuitry underlying higher order cognitive functions
Beyond standard library resources, UCSB hosts the "Map and Imagery Library" (MIL) in the first floor of the SEL wing. This is a national repository, and has both digital and paper images of just about any kind of geographic reference you could want. This includes:
- Topographic maps
- Geologic Maps
- Maps & volumes summarizing vegetation, climate, hydrology, cultural and other features;
- Aerial photographs from landsat down to old plane-flown photographs.
- And much more!
The Marine Science Institute
The Marine Science Institute (MSI), established at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1969, is the focus for marine, coastal zone, and freshwater research; marine policy studies; and educational outreach in marine science. MSI administers and supports research projects involving faculty, professional researchers, technical staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students from 14 disciplines. There are a LARGE number of researchers associated with the MSI who are not faculty in one of the biology departments – and many are very student friendly. Some specific faculty to check out include :
Tom Dudley, Jenny Dugan, Mark Page, Uta Passow, Dan Reed, and Milton Love (See especially Milton Love’s web page – it’s cool!). A complete list of MSI associated faculty can be found here.
PISCO (Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans) is a large, long-term, ecosystem research and monitoring program that involves Santa Barbara and three other West Coast campuses (Oregon State, Stanford and UCSC).
Center for Bioengineering
The Center for BioEngineering (CBE) is a hub for research and teaching at the interface of biology, engineering and physical sciences. It builds on UC Santa Barbara’s strengths in biophysics, biomaterials, biomolecular discovery, and computational and experimental systems biology, enabling fundamental scientific discoveries to be transitioned to applications in medicine and biotechnology.
Cheadle Center for the Study of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Restoration (CCBER)
Located under the south end of the stadium. Used to be the Museum of Systematics and Ecology in EEMB, now independent. Houses the plant and animal collections of the University. Hosts a range of research projects, particularly concerning biodiversity and the reclamation of local ecosystems. Very strong programs in outreach to local school children. Check out their internships.
National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS)
An outstanding international think tank on anything ecological and a lot evolutionary. It is a cross road of visiting scientists, in house researchers and periodic work groups who have access to a series of immense computerized databases that allow researchers to seek out explanations for gross patterns in Nature. Many UCSB faculty and graduate students participate, and there are frequent opportunities to work as paid data-collectors or enterers. NCEAS is located on State Street, in the center of the Paseo Nuevo. Note that they have a Thursday lunch seminar that hosts internationally known scholars.
The UC Natural Reserve System.
The UC System is unusual (not quite unique) in owning its own set of natural reserves dedicated to instruction and research. Each reserve is selected as representative of an important ecosystem in California. Most are managed by resident scientists. All are available for visitation or research with proper initial approval (signing of waiver forms indicating respect of the property, etc. ). Each Reserve has its own web site, and most list past research conducted on the Reserve. A good way to see who is doing what.
UCSB has one on campus (Coal Oil Point Note particularly here that Cristina Sandoval (director of Coal Oil Point) is an active researcher who interacts with undergrads) and two nearby (Sedgwick Reserve & Carpinteria Salt Marsh). We also manage the Santa Cruz Island Reserve, the Kenneth S. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve near Cambria, the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab in Bishop, and the Valentine Camp on the eastern face of the High Sierra.
OFF CAMPUS
Channel Islands National Park (And the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary)
The National Park Service manages several of the Channel Islands, and is interested in supporting research on them. Most of their voucher specimens come to Museum of Natural History
Lotusland Botanic Garden
Located in Montecito, Lotusland occupies 38 acres, much planted with exotic plant species in striking array. Lotusland has the world's third largest collection of cycads, and outstanding collections of Agave, Aloe and cool-tolerant palms. The garden is looking to become increasingly involved in research.
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
Nearly a century old, the garden focuses upon native Californian plants. It has an outstanding living collection arranged by habitats, and a good library and herbarium focused in native flora. The Garden has a long-standing reputation for research into native Californian plants, and the biogeography of the Channel Islands. Research students interested in botany would do well to explore this. The Garden has a long-standing reputation for research into native Californian plants,
( and https://www.sbbg.org/conservation-research/black-holes-blog) and the biogeography of the Channel Islands.
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and Sea Center.
The Museum of Natural History is likewise nearly a century old, and has an established research reputation. It has internationally-recognized collections of living Mollusca and bird egg shells, and a very strong collection of marine invertebrates of the Santa Barbara Channel. Other collections include an excellent collection of mammals, particularly marine mammals, of southern California, a wide range of fossil whale material, a decent insect collection, and collections of particularly Pleistocene fossil marine and terrestrial organisms. It hosts active researchers working on -
Marine Mammals - Krista A. Fahy, Michelle L. Berman
Marine octopods - F. G. Hochberg
Marine gastropods - Henry Chaney
Marine Mollusca - Paul Valentich Scott
Ethnobotany - Jan Timbrook,
Vertebrate Biology - Paul Collins, Patricia Sadeghian
Vertebrate Paleontology - Jonathan Hoffman
Invertebrate zoology (gastropods) - Daniel Geiger
Santa Barbara Zoological Gardens
The Zoo is mostly dedicated to the culture and reproduction of living, endangered, taxa. However, while they might not take kindly to dissecting a living animal, they certainly offer opportunities to examine behavior, and who knows what else might be worked out.
USC Wrigley Marine Science Center, Catalina Island
For those of you with marine interests, a local (SoCal) resource is the Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina island, run by USC. It offers research opportunities and summer courses.
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