Prospective Students

Located at the eastern edge of Orlando, UCF is situated near of a variety of natural habitats, e.g., rivers, lakes, fresh and saltwater marshes, beaches, pine flatwoods, dry prairies, mixed hardwood forests. There is a range of research interests within the department and within the GAMES Lab itself. Current research involves mapping forest canopy structure with LiDAR in relation to fire, hurricane, invasive vines, contemporary and ancient land use practices, modeling species interactions and the effects climate change such as sea-level rise on ecological systems. The focus of other UCF labs, with which we often collaborate, include but aren’t limited to sea turtle biology, invasive exotic species, Maya archaeology, and ecohydrology.

I am interested in self-motivated students with past research experience. Students work with me to develop an independent research project that is unique, innovative, and fits the individual student’s professional goals. I support students with my time and, if available and relevant to the student’s interests, grant support. Occasionally, there are limited teaching assistantships through the department. However, I encourage students to try to secure additional funding through their own proposals.

Students interested in joining the lab should take a look through the research section of this webpage and read some of the publications to assess if our interests are compatible with their individual research goals. Typically GAMES Lab students have interests in landscape ecology, GIS, remote sensing, and ecological modeling. However, I am willing to entertain research projects that may lie outside these fields. I do not expect incoming students to have a prepared research topic, but they should have some idea about the type questions that interest them.

If you are still interested in being a part of this lab after reading through all this information, contact should be made for an interview between two and six months prior to the application deadline. You can contact me at John.Weishampel@ucf.edu.