You are here: Home > Assistantships and Job Opportunities

Assistantships and Job Opportunities

Graduate Assistantships Currently Available

Undergraduate Job and Research Opportunities

The Small Grains Breeding, Soybean Breeding, and Soybean Genomic programs at Virginia Tech individually and collectively offer excellent scientific and professional experiences to students and others interested in crop improvement, genomics, breeding, and plant genetics. Our strengths include research opportunities in the lab and the field, and a collaborative environment in which students can learn from lab members across programs with diverse areas of expertise.  Graduate student research takes advantage excellent facilities at Virginia Tech.

Graduate Studies in Plant Breeding @ VT


Both the Small Grains Breeding Program and the Soybean Breeding Program develop superior commercial varieties of crops.  Student research encompasses the lab and the field. Typically, in addition to working on individual research projects, students assist with regular breeding program activities such as planting and harvest.  Working in a public breeding program engaged in variety development provides you with crucial exposure to the connection between the lab and the field.  There is no replacement for hands-on experience with breeding for yield and other agronomic traits.

  »Potential students who are interested in becoming plant breeders are encouraged to contact Dr. Carl Griffey or Dr. K.M. Rainey.


 Working with the soybean genetics program in CSES has opened many doors for me in my college career.  Starting as an undergraduate, the research I conducted gave me a lot of valuable experience that I could not have learned in a classroom setting alone.  It also helped me decide if I enjoyed the work and wanted to pursue it as a career.  I eventually decided to stick with it for graduate school, and the experience and knowledge that I gained as an undergrad has made the transition into graduate school very smooth.


I came to Virginia Tech from New York where I got my bachelor’s degree in Biology from Hartwick College.  I became interested in plant science when I worked for a few summers at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station.  My move to Virginia Tech has been very exciting and enlightening at the same time.  The courses in the CSES department are generally quite small and intimate so that you don’t feel as though you are just a face in the crowd but more of a peer.  There are always interesting things to do including attending the weekly seminars on Thursdays which not only include speakers from our department but from other departments and universities as well.  The professors are all very down to earth and approachable while being professional at the same time.  After being here for almost a year, I feel it’s safe to say that this is the place for me.

Assistantships Currently Available        

M.S. Graduate Student Assistantship (Assistantship.pdf)

                  

»Potential students are encouraged to contact Dr. Carl Griffey


 

Undergraduate Students 

 

Undergraduates at Virginia Tech interested in this area of research and scholarship are encouraged to contact project leaders (professors).

 

We regularly employ undergraduate students in the field, the lab, and with seed packaging and processing- providing the opportunity to work your way up the ladder in learning about our research.  Typically, we expect a minimum of 20 hrs/week during the summer and 10 hrs/week during the semester.
To apply: Email your resume (minimally including year and major at VT, relevant coursework, any prior work experience, and the names and telephone numbers of three professional references) to Katy Rainey and Ruslan Biyashev.

 


 

Related Links