I am currently recruiting a research associate and postdoctoral associate to begin immediately or at the latest January 2026. 

Lab recruitment forms
Please fill out the form below that matches your career stage in order to provide me with more information. The forms below have a lot of questions. Your answers to these questions will help me learn more about how you anticipate contributing to the lab’s research, what you want to learn from working in the lab, and where you’d like to go after leaving the lab. In order for you to have a successful experience working in the lab, I need to ensure that you can contribute to the lab’s research and that I can support your training for your career goals. I appreciate you taking the time to reflect and address each of these questions.
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I have limited positions available in the lab, and my ability to take on new lab members in different roles is subject to change over time. These forms are not the equivalent of an official job application but are instead designed to help me assess whether I can support you as a lab member. If so, then I will be in touch by email to schedule a follow-up conversation. Rotation students from other graduate programs at UMiami who are interested in joining the lab for a short period of time should contact me directly (dshelton[at]miami.edu) and cc your respective graduate program director.

** We are not currently recruiting undergrads, please check back in Summer 2026 for updates ** 

• Graduate Students: Prospective graduate students should fill out this form. I’m excited to work with incoming graduate students who are interested in applying to competitive fellowships. Please note that with very few exceptions, I will only be accepting graduate students who are interested in the lab’s primary research and study systems until at least 2027. If you are unsure whether your research interests align with the lab, then please read the lab’s research focus in the lab handbook and reach out to Dr. Shelton.
  Graduate students can join the lab through the Biology graduate program, Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy, or the Program in Biomedical Science (PIBS) graduate program, and you should discuss the choice of program with Dr. Shelton beforehand. Admissions to the Biology (spring/fall) graduate program is December 1st of each year. 
  • General advice on contacting potential advisors:
    • For the biology department here at UC, it is critical for potential grad students to contact potential advisors prior to applying. Please refer to the following advice about reaching out for making that first contact:
      • Applying to US Graduate School in Ecology, Evolution, and Related Fields
      • Ten simple rules for choosing a PhD supervisor
      • “So, you want to go to grad school? Nail the inquiry email”
      • “How to Write an Email to a Potential Ph.D. Advisor/Professor”
      • “How to Correspond with Potential Graduate School Advisers”
      • “Some tips on writing an email of interest to potential graduate school advisors”​

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Postbac assistants** We are not currently recruiting postbacs, please check back in Summer 2026 for updates ** 

We are recruiting for a postdoc position in molecular toxicology

• Postdoctoral Researchers: I am actively recruiting a postdoctoral associate that can contribute to the lab’s core research goals to be immediately. Please, fill out this form. However, if you are interested in applying for an independent postdoctoral fellowship to work with the lab’s primary study systems then fill out this form, read about the funding opportunities below, and e-mail me.

** We are not currently recruiting undergrads, please check back in Summer 2026 for updates ** 

• Undergraduate Students: Prospective undergraduate students should fill out this form so that Dr. Shelton can evaluate your interest and the projects that are available for new students.

FundingGraduate Fellowships

• NSF GRFP – I would be interested in working with potential students on developing proposals focused around social interactions and testing hypotheses around sensory and environmental drivers of social roles and behavior in the lab and field (deadline in Oct).

Postdoc Fellowships

• NSF PRFB Fellowships: Independent funding (mostly salary, with some limited research/professional development funds). I’d be interested in working with people to develop their applications for working with me (Area 1, deadline in Nov). 
• NIH F-32 Fellowship: I would be interested in working with potential postdocs to develop proposals focused around behavior, sensory biology, and their unique expertise. Deadlines in April, August, and December. 
• NIH K99/R00 Fellowship: Independent funding for post-docs (mostly salary, with some limited research/professional development funds) with at least one year, but no more than five years of experience. Provides funding for two years of training before transitioning to a faculty position with three years of research support.  I would be interested in working with individuals who would like to focus on behavior and gain or bring experience in another area of expertise (e.g., immunology, molecular toxicology, neuroscience, genetics). Open to US and non-US citizens. 
• Database of postdoc opportunities, started by Dr. Allison Barner

Faculty Fellowships

• Simons Foundation Pivot Fellowship: Are you a faculty member working outside animal behavior and sociality, but interested in learning about sensory biology or social behavior? This is an interesting fellowship aimed at bringing researchers from a different field and embedding them with a lab in a new field that might be of interest! Please get in touch if you would like to discuss options.