INF PhD – Ecological and Environmental Informatics (EEI) emphasis area
The Ecological and Environmental Informatics (EEI) emphasis provides innovative training in informatics, ecology, team-based research, and communication, and it is one of a select few graduate training programs to have received funding by the prestigious National Science Foundation’s Research Traineeship (NRT) program.
The EEI emphasis is an evolution of the NRT-funded T3 program: Though the funded period of the EEI program has ended, we remain committed to the core tenets of the T3 program, including breadth and depth of knowledge in key competency areas of informatics, ecology, and environmental science, fueled by team-based, interdisciplinary research.
Goal: Train students to independently and collaboratively leverage cutting-edge informatics tools with skills and knowledge of ecology and related environmental science disciplines to address the most pressing environmental issues facing societies today.
Coursework Information
Click here for information about the available courses, requirements, and sample course progression.
Highlights of the 2024-25 academic year will include a world-class line up of speakers for our seminar series and a new graduate-level class in team-based research. Please see application information below, so you can learn how to join us as a new PhD student in Fall 2025!
Welcome back, Students!
Application Information
Finding a faculty mentor and research group that aligns with your interests is crucial for success in graduate school. Before applying, please learn about our research groups by looking at their websites and contact the prospective mentor(s) whose interests most closely relate to yours.
Deadlines: For full consideration for fellowship opportunities within the EEI program and within NAU, apply by December 1, 2024; the final deadline (Graduate College deadline) is January 1, 2025.
We held our Fall 2021 Welcome Event August 19-20, 2021. This hybrid event included a virtual introduction of the program along with lightning talks by graduate students from Cohorts 1 and 2, and a postdoctoral researcher affiliated with the Ecological and Environmental Informatics group and an orientation for incoming students in Cohort 3. In addition to the virtual event, we got together (outside!) in-person for the first time since March 2019. It was great to see everyone’s smiling faces!
Screenshot of Emma Reich’s lightning talk on her research and the importance of communicating with partners when using large datasets.T3 Graduate Students Fall 2021
2020 Ecoinformatics “Ignite” Presentations
Students in the INF 550 (Advanced Survey in Ecoinformatics Tools) partnered with outside organizations (e.g., NEON, USA-NPN, PhenoCam, FLUXNET, AmeriFlux, NASA EOS, USGS, NWIS) to develop derived data products. Students presented their research in an “IGNITE” style mini-conference in a series of 5-minute lightning talks.
Past Annual Retreats
Fall 2020 T3 Retreat
2020 Annual Meeting Participants. We used virtual backgrounds to show each other new things we have done in 2020!
We held our annual T3 meeting on December 1-2, 2020 via Zoom (of course!). On December 1, 10 students presented lightning talks to give updates on their research, and then all participants worked in breakout groups to discuss proposed curriculum changes and to give feedback on how the curriculum could be improved to better suit student needs. Congratulations to Emma Reich and Cameron Bodine for winning the Student Lightning Talk contest!
On December 2, Dr. Kathleen Weathers of the Cary Institute and ESA president joined us. Dr. Weathers presented a seminar on her work with GLEON to researchers across NAU. She followed this with a workshop on team science for students and faculty in the T3 program. Thanks to all who participated.
We held a kickoff meeting for the T3 option in August 2019. At the kickoff meeting, incoming and current INF students in the Ecoinformatics emphasis area, along with faculty, staff, the evaluation team, and External Advisory Committee (EAC) members outlined expectations and participated in our first Team Science Workshop, facilitated by EAC member Kendra Cheruvelil of Michigan State University. Thanks to all who participated. We are excited to get started!
Training in team science and science communication through courses and workshops
Opportunity to help shape the INF PhD program through participation in committees and/or assuming a leadership role in organized activities (seminars, workshops, tutorials, recruitment events, etc.)
Option to pursue an internship with a federal agency or another internship partner, providing informatics research experience and networking outside the university
Participation in cohort-building activities
Opportunity to engage in collaborative, team-based research projects
Students will be supported on faculty grants and/or teaching assistantships that will further enhance the students’ curriculum vitae upon graduation. Additional research and travel funds are available through NAU’s graduate college and the Presidential Fellowship Program.
To learn more about the EEI emphasis to the INF PhD program and associated research and funding opportunities, contact Dr. Kiona Ogle (Program Director) or faculty participants that you are interested in working with.
Unique benefits of the EEI emphasis: Students who choose the EEI emphasis will develop their own unique program of study that integrates ecological thinking, informatics tools, team-science approaches, and communication skills to solve complex environmental questions in a computationally intensive, data-rich era. Students who participate in the EEI emphasis will be well prepared for careers within and outside of academia.
Benefits of NAU: NAU is home to world-class research centers in ecology and high-performance computing. NAU’s location in the heart of beautiful Flagstaff, AZ, provides easy access to outdoor adventures at international destinations, including Grand Canyon and other national parks as well as local hiking opportunities in the summer and skiing in the winter. You can find more information about living in Flagstaff here.
How to Apply: Admission requirements for the INF PhD Program along with a link to application materials can be found here. Applicants with limited analytical or computing skills are considered for admission if they demonstrate strong interest and potential to learn and apply such tools, and the more quantitative students are admitted if they express interest and aptitude toward ecological or environmental applications. Please indicate that you are interested in consideration for the Ecological and Environmental Informatics emphasis area in your written statement.
Research Opportunities for EEI Students:
INF PhD students in the Ecological and Environmental Informatics emphasis area work closely with faculty mentors on a variety of topics. If you are interested in joining our program, we recommend that you contact a prospective faculty mentor whose research interests you. You can find out about faculty research interests here and find more information about individual research groups here.
Program Elements:
A flexible curriculum that allows each student to create his/her personalized “T-profile” that integrates breadth and depth of expertise. Breadth and depth are developed with respect to five core competency areas:
Data analytics and/or computing
Ecology and supporting environmental science areas
Analysis and/or synthesis (e.g., statistical or simulation modeling)
Communication and collaboration
Data collection tools and products
Workshops, courses, and other activities that focus on team skills and applying these skills to collaborative research projects. These activities also include training in science communication.
Preparation for a range of careers via professional development and applied internship opportunities.
Cohort-building activities and opportunities for EEI graduate students to contribute to and take ownership of various program elements.
Synopsis:
The Ecological and Environmental Informatics (EEI) emphasis to the INF PhD training program is couched in the interdisciplinary research theme of understanding and forecasting the properties and processes of terrestrial ecosystems, or ecological systems more generally, especially in the context of understanding the impact of and feedbacks to global change. The field is being flooded with data (e.g., from various ecological and Earth observatory networks) that are critical to understanding and forecasting terrestrial ecosystem responses. However, most graduate students and scientists lack the quantitative, computational, and collaborative skills to leverage such data to address grand, challenging questions. The EEI option will train the next generation of scientists to overcome these limitations, with a focus on training in informatics tools and team-science skills that facilitate solutions to complex problems, motivated by the question: How does anthropogenic global change affect the health and productivity of terrestrial ecosystems? Students who pursue this option will build substantive depth in a primary core competency as well as breadth in other primary and upporting areas. The primary areas include hard skills in data analytics and computing, analysis and synthesis, and ecological and environmental science; the supporting areas include relevant data collection tools and products and soft skills in communication, collaboration, and team building. Elements of the EEI option are scalable and sustainable, including: (1) a curriculum that allows students to create their personalized profile, supported by existing and new classes and a variety of training activities, (2) workshops, courses, and other activities that focus on teaming skills and applying these skills to collaborative research projects, (3) preparation for a range of careers via professional development and applied internship opportunities, and (4) a graduate EEI certificate that is accessible to students in a range of STEM fields outside of the core EEI option. These components are expected to benefit MS and PhD students in multiple academic units at NAU.
