If you are interested in joining the lab as a post-doc, I would be very happy to talk to you; please reach out to me via email.
Current PhD students. If you are already a PhD student at UMD in CS, AMSC, BISI-BEES, or BISI-CBBG, I would be very happy to talk to you; please reach out to me via email.
The general process for joing the lab is taking CMSC 702 Algorithmic Evolutionary Biology and completing a semester-long rotation in the lab, often these are done in the same semester. The goal of taking CMSC 702 is learn the background necessary to conduct research in this field and to get started on a research project (a major part of the course grade is the final project). By the end of the course, you should have a sense of whether you want to pursue PhD research in algorithmic evolutionary biology and whether you are interested in any of the ongoing projects in the lab. The goal of doing a rotation is to learn where my advising style and the lab culture is a good fit for you. At the end of the rotation, we will discuss the past semester and moving forward. It is generally a good idea to explore different labs/advisors at the beginning of grad school.
Prospective PhD students. If you apply to CS, AMSC, BISI-BEES, or BISI-CBBG and list me as a faculty of interest, your application should be brought to my attention. These programs are open admission, meaning that you are admitted to the program and then find an advisor through formal or informal rotations during your first 1-2 years. You should apply to the programs that are most suitable for your background and your goals for PhD studies. Admission decisions are made by the amissions committee not by individual faculty. I am generally unable to respond to email requests from prospective PhD students.
If you are an MS student at UMD who is interested in joining the lab, follow the instructions for PhD students above.
It is sometimes possible for CS MS students to submit their final project for CMSC 702 Algorithmic Evolutionary Biology as an MS scholarly paper; however, this is not guaranteed. MS scholarly papers need to be at the level of a workshop or conference paper; therefore, you need to do the following.
Undergrads are valued and active members of our lab, contributing to ongoing research projects and attending lab meetings as well as social events.
UMD students. Our expectation is that undergrads in the lab are actively contributing to one of our ongoing research projects, on the order of writing an honors thesis (e.g., ) or contributing substantially to a conference paper (e.g., ) or a specific section of a longer journal article. Achieving this goal requires a substantial time commitment from us and the student; therefore, we require undergrads to register for research credits (CMSC 498A or CMSC 499A) the same semester they join the lab. We also work with undergrads during the summer. These positions are filled by invitation, typically as follow-up to taking CMSC 498A/499A, or via the CARR REU program.
If you are interested in getting involved in research, we recommend you take CMSC 498Y because we advertise openings and recruit undergrads from this course. Alternatively, you can email me to check if there are open undergrad positions via email (subject line: "Undergrad interested in joining Molloy Lab"). If so, I will ask that you apply by sending the following materials:
Non-UMD students. We are excited to work with undergrads from other institutions during the summer via the CARR REU program. We encourage you to apply if you are eligible. Applications are typically due in late February / early March.