I will likely be recruiting for both PhD students and postdocs during Fall 2026 (ads forthcoming). If you have any questions, please reach out directly (jackie.weissman@stonybrook.edu).

Postdocs

I will likely be recruiting at least one postdoc this fall (Fall of 2026) to start January 2027 to work on projects around microbial trait prediction and dynamical modeling of the human microbiome. Please feel free to reach out if you would be interested in discussing further and keep an eye out for an ad in the fall.

If you are interested in joining the lab, I would be more than happy to work with you to develop proposals for postdoc fellowships relevant to the work our lab does.

This is one good resource for finding fellowships. Please reach out if you are interested in developing such a proposal. In particular, I’d be very happy to work with someone to put together a proposal to the NSF PRFB (https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/prfb-postdoctoral-research-fellowships-biology).

PhD Students

I will likely be recruiting at least one PhD student this fall (Fall of 2026) to start their graduate degree in the fall of 2027 to work on computational projects in either permafrost microbiome or human microbiome systems. Please feel free to reach out if you would be interested in discussing further.

I primarily recruit through the Ecology & Evolution program, though could potentially arrange to take students from other programs at SBU (I am currently also affiliated with the Genetics PhD program).

A basic expectation when applying for a position in my group as a PhD student is that you have done computational research before and have a clear idea of why you want to pursue a PhD in my group specifically. I ask that students have some prior experience in computational research (broadly defined) because a PhD is a massive investment of your time and effort, and it is important that you know going in that the kind of work we do is a good fit for you. I am open to taking students from a range of academic backgrounds as long as you have a strong justification for why our lab is a good fit for your research interests and can demonstrate strong quantitative preparation.

If you are interested in working with me, I strongly recommend that you reach out to me to discuss applying in late summer/early fall. In general, this is an expectation of nearly all PhD mentors in Ecology & Evolution, though it often goes unstated. At the very least, you should reach out before the December application deadline so we can chat about whether my mentorship style is a good fit for you and whether your research interests are a good fit for the lab. I try to meet with all students who express an interest in the lab to answer questions about our research and lab culture (this is not an interview), but all admissions decisions will be made by the relevant PhD program (I cannot guarantee you a spot in any program at Stony Brook).

I know it can be a little intimidating to cold-email a prospective PhD mentor. Please don’t let that stop you from reaching out! I really do want to hear from you. Here are some things that you should include in that email:

• Some introduction to who you are and what you are studying or have studied in the past
• Have you done research before? On what? What did you learn from that experience?
• Why you are interested in pursuing a PhD specifically in my group?
• What topics would you potentially want to study in my group? (recognizing that these may change over time)
• How do you feel about working in a 100% computational lab? What quantitative skills and experience do you bring? What skills might you need to spend some time building in the first year or two of your PhD?
• What are your career plans post-PhD? (again, I recognize these may change over time)

Please note that AI-generated emails are often easy to spot (because I receive many and they all have similar wording) and are not viewed positively. I would rather you send me a less polished but honest set of answers to these questions than a low-effort and/or generic one that reads like spam. I would also advise against simply rephrasing lines from this website and calling them a passion for yourself. The most successful applicants show a real engagement with the work we do and a familiarity with at least some of our published science.

Undergraduate Students

Are you a Stony Brook undergraduate student? Did you think some of the stuff on this website was interesting? Consider joining the lab! We are a computational biology lab but no experience in computational biology or coding is required to join the lab at the undergraduate level. If you are enthusiastic about learning about these topics, we can train you. I firmly believe anyone can be a great computational biologist. Most of the undergraduate students I have worked with in the past started out with absolutely zero coding experience, but quickly learned with hands-on training and a cool question in front of them. I am happy to have biologists, environmental scientists, computer scientists, and mathematicians join the lab (and even people from totally different fields if computational biology has caught your eye).

All summer students who work with me will be paid (I will not take unpaid volunteers). Unfortunately, this may limit available positions. Depending on the summer I may have funding to pay one or more students to work with me. Otherwise, I encourage you to apply for summer research programs available at SBU.

Please note that our lab typically only takes a few undergraduate researchers at a time so that we can provide high-quality mentorship. This means capacity may be limited in any one semester, but feel free to check back in over time!

HS Students

We do not take high school interns except through official SBU programs like the Simons Summer Research Program.