Carter Lab at California State University Long Beach

I study evolutionary biology using both theoretical and empirical approaches. Most researchers can be classified as chiefly interested in "pattern" or "process", I am very "process" oriented in my interests. The broad question that I am interested in is what influences the evolvability, the capacity to evolve, of organisms and species. Evolvability can be influenced by characteristics of populations (e.g., population size) or individuals (e.g., mutation rate and developmental stability) and I am interested in both arenas.

Via the links at the left you can get more information about the lab.

• Read a more detailed general overview of the questions I have studied and questions I am thinking about right now on the Research Overview page.
• You can read about several specific projects that are being undertaken in the lab on the Current Projects page.
• The lab is open to a wide range of students, as members join a little information about each will be found on the Lab Members page.

  I am always looking for good students. Intellectual curiosity and the ability to organize yourself and be responsible are the essential requirements; experience is less important since techniques and information can be learned in the lab. I also understand that grades do not tell a complete story and have found that students with less than desired GPAs to be among the best I've worked with. Although I have several student projects available, some of the best student projects I have supervised have come from discussion and from the students themselves. I am very open to students' creativity and interests.

• I have taught quite a few courses over the years. Information about courses I have taught, as well as links to current course websites, can be found on the Teaching page.
• A brief curriculum vitae, CV, can be found on the CV page.
• At the left is also a link to a list of Publications. This list includes peer-reviewed research articles, education articles and more general work.
• If you are investigating graduate school, I know from my experience and that of many friends that this can be a confusing and stressful time. I have collected some Student Advice for aspiring (and current) graduate students at the left. If you are interested in graduate studies at CSU Long Beach I am more than happy to speak with you, just get in touch.
• Contact information (address, phone, email, etc.) and directions to find the lab (maps as well) are available via the Contact Information link at the left.
• The Links page has a collection of useful biology and science links (online journals, databases, useful websites, etc.).
• Data from some of the empirical papers I have published is available by following the Available Data Sets link at the left. The data is generally available as tab delimited text files and/or Excel spreadsheets.