Opportunities

Interested in Joining the Lab?

We welcome inquiries from prospective students and postdocs who have a clear interest in our research and relevant experience in ichthyology, evolutionary biology, phylogenomics, phylogenetic comparative methods, and comparative genomics. While we are co-PIs of a joint lab, Dahiana Arcila and Ricardo Betancur-R. lead distinct projects—so please reach out to only one of us, depending on whose work aligns more closely with your interests.

To help us assess fit, your email should reference 1–2 publications (with either Arcila or Betancur-R. as first or last author) that relate directly to your research goals. Although we occasionally conduct fieldwork, including SCUBA diving, these opportunities are rare. Most of our work is computational, focused on large genomic or comparative datasets. Students in the lab spend the majority of their time at a computer or working with specimens in the Marine Vertebrate Collection. The Pacific Ocean is more often admired than entered for work.

Applicants to the PhD program at Scripps Institution of Oceanography must secure independent funding (e.g., NSF GRFP, Fulbright) that covers tuition and living expenses in San Diego.