Research Opportunities

Prospective Undergraduate Students

Mentorship preference is given to students whose career goals and interests align with the lab.

Undergraduates: Research opportunities in the Stellwagen Lab include participation in the Honors Program, as Undergraduate Research for credit (BIOL 3900), or for regular hourly pay (when funds are available). Undergraduates must first complete an exploratory volunteer semester where they actively participate in weekly laboratory meetings, shadow graduate students and postdocs during research tasks, and participate in laboratory duties such as animal care and maintenance. Students that tend to be successful and move up to more responsibilities and independence are ones that have a genuine passion for arthropods and want to pursue a career in organismal research or are interested in biomaterials. Space is limited for undergraduates – preference will go to students that are on an organismal/ecology/evolution/field biology/biomaterials career trajectory. Biomedical and human-health focused students are welcome to inquire about positions and may be considered if space allows, however the experience and skills gained in the lab don’t apply as directly to careers in these areas. Once part of any lab, students spend a significant number of hours dedicated to research – you should plan for that time to benefit your future medical, graduate, or professional school applications and career success. Do not misrepresent your career aspirations in order to gain a lab position – hobby interest in insects or other arthropods is not equivalent to research interest. Undergraduate students must also have at least 2 semesters left (the more, the better!) before graduation and maintain a 3.0 GPA.

Undergraduate researchers will:

  • Assist in PhD and Postdoc projects related to silk biomechanics and genetics.
  • Care for organisms, including juvenile and adult spiders, glow worms, and outreach organisms in the lab.
  • Attend weekly lab meetings.
  • Keep the lab clean and organized.
  • Help PhD students collect specimens for their projects.

If you are interested in joining the lab, please send an email to Dr. Stellwagen at stellwagen@charlotte.edu and respond to the following questions:

  • What is your name and expected graduation date?
  • What are your career plans and research interests? If your career goals are focused on human health, which skills do you hope to gain in this lab that relate to these goals?
  • Have you done research before? If so, please tell us a bit about it! If not, it is by no means required.
  • Have you worked with invertebrates in any capacity before? Or, with animals in general? (Experience also not required!)
  • Will you be comfortable and confident regularly handling spiders and insects?

Prospective Graduate Students

The Stellwagen Lab does not currently have any open graduate student (through 2026) or postdoc positions. 

Graduate Students: While ideal candidates for the Master’s or Ph.D. program will have had previous research experience to develop general bench skills and some experience or interest in computational biology, enthusiasm and excitement for the lab’s area of research is the most important criteria that will be considered. Research is challenging and working through problems and difficulties takes dedication – burn out can be quick if the excitement isn’t there. The lab combines sequencing and material property data, so students should be intellectually interested in including sequence data with their projects. Charlotte is a great environment for integrative research and students in the lab will pursue projects that include field, lab, and computational components.

Everyone is welcome Here

The Stellwagen Lab welcomes ALL students! Consistent with the Klein College of Science’s (KCOS) dedication to critical thinking and engaged citizenship, we hereby affirm our commitment to equal access in all aspects of our lab’s teaching, scholarship, and professional activities.