About the workshop
An intensive training workshop focusing on
methods used by analytical palaeobiologists has been held since 2005. As in
previous years, the 2015 workshop will held at Macquarie University in Sydney. The sessions will run from 21 June to 11 July.
Topics will include community palaeoecology,
diversity estimation, speciation and extinction, phylogenetics, phenotypic
evolution, and geometric morphometrics. Both simulation modelling and data
analysis methods will be employed. Training will combine lectures and practical
exercises. Participants will be given hands-on instruction in programming using
R and taught to use other analytical software. In addition to the workshop
coordinator, each week a new instructor will be present. The instructors are
expected to include John Alroy, Alistair Evans, Michal Kowalewski, and Pete Wagner.
There is no fee for registration, but no
expenses will be subsidised this year due to lack of institutional support for
the workshop. Participants will be advised on the availability of budget
accommodations with cooking facilities near the campus. Participants are
encouraged to solicit travel funds from their home institutions or other
organizations.
How to apply
Participants should be in the early stages of
their own research in palaeontology or any related area and should have a
background in basic statistics. The ability to understand rapidly spoken English
is essential. Although the workshop is open to all undergraduates and advanced
graduate students, first or second year graduate students are particularly
encouraged to apply. Applications from professionals who have completed their
studies will be considered but are not given first priority. We strongly
encourage applications from women and members of underrepresented groups.
Applications should be submitted in PDF format
to John Alroy (john.alroy@mq.edu.au). Applications should be mailed by midnight
on Saturday, 28 February 2015 as reckoned in the Pacific time
zone. A cogent explanation must be given for submitting an application after
the deadline. Applications should consist of a one page statement. Do not
include separate documents such as a curriculum vitae. No form needs to be
filled out.
The statement should include a brief
description of current research plans, a list of degrees earned stating the
year of graduation in each case, a brief list of relevant classes taken, and an
account of the applicant's previous use of statistics and knowledge of
programming. Applicants who do not employ English as a primary language should
describe their experiences learning and speaking it. Applicants are encouraged
to explain why the topics addressed by the workshop are of special interest to
them and to what extent these subjects are taught at their home institutions.
Applications must be accompanied by a
recommendation letter, also in PDF format, written by the applicant's academic
advisor and e-mailed separately. Obtaining a recommendation from anyone who is
not an advisor must be explained. It is important that the recommendation give
details about the applicant's personal character and abilities, not just
credentials and descriptions of research projects. Recommendation letters also
should be received by the end of the due date.
