Joining the lab

Lab Philosophy

The DeRaad lab is an explicitly anti-racist and anti-sexist space, with a zero-tolerance policy for harassment, bigotry, or bullying. I (Devon) believe that the pursuit of excellent science suffers from the exclusion of scientists from marginalized and disadvantaged backgrounds. I recognize the structural, financial, and interpersonal barriers that are present in the current academic system and often result in highly talented folks being pushed out of academic research (read: The Leaky Pipeline in Academia). Although we did not create this problematic system, I believe that this generation of PI’s must directly acknowledge these problems and take responsibility for creating the positive changes we hope to see in academia and in society as a whole. I believe that we can build cultures, starting within individual research labs, where scientists from diverse backgrounds and career stages are valued for their unique lived experiences, and have their ideas respected and taken seriously. Academic science is a challenging and often disheartening pursuit, but I believe (and have seen) that early-career scientists will thrive when treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve. I am beyond excited about mentoring the next generation of diverse, brilliant scientists, who will continue to create spaces where anyone can belong and find their own passion for scientific research. If this sounds like you, please reach out to see if there are opportunities to join the lab!

Scientific focus

My vision for the lab is to use both museum specimens and active field studies to investigate major outstanding questions at the intersection of conservation and evolutionary genomics. The AMNH Ornithology Collection is one of the premier museum collections in the world, and as a lab member, you will have full access to the nearly one million specimens and tens of thousands of frozen tissue samples to use in your research. I am broadly interested in questions ranging across biogeography, phylogenetics, speciation, population genetics, and conservation genetics. As an advisor/mentor I will work closely with you, to help you shape research questions that are exciting yet feasible, under this broad umbrella of topics. If this sounds exciting to you, please reach out so that we can speak about potential opportunities!

Current opportunities

I am looking to sponsor PhD students through the Richard Gilder Graduate School program as soon as the Fall 2026 application cycle (to matriculate Fall 2027). I am also hoping to recruit postdoctoral research scholars to join the lab on a rolling basis.

Prospective graduate students

I can support PhD applicants through the Richard Gilder Graduate School, which is a highly selective internal graduate school housed entirely within the American Museum of Natural History, located in New York City. The annual due date for applications to this program is December 15th, so please reach out to me well in advance (ideally August or September) of this deadline if you are interested in applying for this program.

Before reaching out, please read some of the papers published by the lab within the past few years to get a feeling for the type of work that we do. To reach out, please email me (devonderaad[at]gmail[dot]com), with:

A general description of the type of research that you would like to do in the lab (should fall under the umbrella of biogeography, phylogenetics, speciation, population genetics, and conservation genetics).
One or more initial project ideas (a short description is fine, ideas don’t need to be fully fleshed out).
An academic CV describing your background and accomplishments.
Contact information for 2 references.

P.S. Here is an additional guide on reaching out to prospective mentors.

Prospective postdoctoral research scholars

I am interested in recruiting postdoctoral scholars on a rolling basis. If you think the lab would be an ideal place to conduct postdoctoral research, please reach out to me at (devonderaad[at]gmail[dot]com) to begin the conversation regarding funding and timelines to make that happen!

Undergraduate researchers

If you are an undergraduate interested in research opportunities in the AMNH Ornithology department, please reach out to me at (devonderaad[at]gmail[dot]com) with: