Graduate Students
I welcome applications from prospective students who are interested in developing theory and models for ecological, evolutionary, and epidemiological systems. Much of my work is on predator-prey and host-parasite systems, but students in the Cortez Lab can work on other systems.
Useful information for students interested in training with me:
- The research in my group is theoretical, meaning we do a combination of theory development and numerical simulation of mathematical models. I do not do experiments, but my students and I work with empirical data and collaborate empiricists.
- I can accept students through the Biology PhD program in the Department of Biological Science and the BioMathematics PhD program in the Department of Mathematics. Please talk to me about which option is best for you. The training you will receive as a member of my group is the same for both programs. The key differences are the expected backgrounds for the programs and that BioMathematics students get a PhD in mathematics whereas Biology students get a PhD in biology.
- All incoming students are expected to have a quantitative background. For the BioMathematics PhD program, this typically means a major in mathematics or applied mathematics. For the biology PhD program, this could be prior experience with modeling or a minor or major in mathematics or applied mathematics.
- Because of the way admissions work at the department level, interested candidates must contact me before November and before applying to FSU graduate programs. Please send a CV, a brief statement of research interests, and the names of three references as a single pdf to michael.cortez[at]usu.edu.
Postdocs
Currently I do not have funding for postdocs. I am interested in working with propspective postdocs to apply for postodoctoral fellowships, e.g., through the National Science Foundation. Please contact me if you are interested in applying.