Depending on funding status, I may or may not be recruiting new graduate students for Fall 2025. However, if you are interested, send an email with a detailed description of why you are interested in my lab during Fall 2024 (after August 15th). You are highly encouraged to apply to the Division of Biology graduate program and to mention your interest in my lab within your essay.

I am recruiting one to two new undergraduate research students for Fall 2024 – please contact me by email with a description of your research and career interests, an updated resume, and your current GPA. Often students with higher GPAs are eligible for scholarship/research funding through various university and state programs.

The McDonald lab recruits graduate students through the Division of Biology and the Genetics Program, and undergraduate research students from any program

• We recruit ‘rotation’ graduate students accepted to the Division of Biology graduate program. Formal application through the Division of Biology or the Interdepartmental Genetics Program is required. Applications are due December 15th for admission to the following fall semester.
• Applicants interested in direct admission to the McDonald lab are strongly encouraged to contact Dr. McDonald (jmcdona (at) ksu.edu) directly with a cover letter describing your research interests and future plans, along with a current CV or resume. Due to the volume of applicants, however, requests for input into the application process, including likelihood of gaining admission into the Biology or Genetics programs, are not possible.
• For questions about the Biology graduate program and eligibility, please contact the director of admission.
• Interested undergraduate researchers can usually apply at any time. Please email Dr. McDonald (jmcdona (at) ksu.edu) with a current resume (or a curriculum vitae), provide a short description of research interests (e.g. what science classes/topics you have enjoyed), science courses you have taken (past and in progress), why you would like to do a research project (2-3 sentences), your anticipated graduation date and your current G.P.A. Funding is available through K-State Arts and Science College, the Johnson Cancer Research Center, the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry, as well as other programs such as the Developing Scholars Program. 

Funded Graduate Positions in the Division of Biology at Kansas State University

• The Graduate Program in the Division of Biology at Kansas State University (ksu.edu/biology) is currently accepting applications for M.S. and Ph.D. students for the Fall 2025 semester (decisions in winter 2025). We have a strong core of 16 tenured or tenure-track Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology faculty. MCDB faculty members are united by their interest in the commonalities of life at the cellular and molecular level in areas including invertebrate developmental biology, genetics, microbiology, immunology, virology, plant biology, vector biology, and cell biology. In addition to strengths in MCDB, the Division of Biology is composed of 46 faculty that span the biological sciences (i.e., cellular biochemistry to ecosystem function). This breadth of scientific inquiry within one department makes K-State a unique environment for graduate study through the exposure, perspective, and collaborations that exist across via intra- and inter-departmental interactions. Kansas State University is located in the heart of the Flint Hills, home to the last large tracts of tall grass prairie on the continent. Graduate students can take advantage of a wide variety of cutting-edge laboratory facilities in the division and elsewhere on campus. Our graduate program provides a broad, comprehensive, yet flexible graduate training in Biology. Kansas State University and the city of Manhattan, Kansas is a safe and inclusive community located in north central Kansas, about 2 hours west of Kansas City.  Applications are due Dec 15. We do not require the GRE. For more information on our graduate program and how to apply, visit http://www.k-state.edu/biology/grad/index.html or: