I work with undergraduate and graduate students at all levels to conduct research, prioritizing those from the University of Michigan. If you are interested in working with me, please read this page in detail, whether you are a current or prospective student.
If you are a student at the University of Michigan, I encourage you to take my classes (see in my teaching) as they prepare you for common skills used in my projects. I also often pilot working with students through class final projects.
I had worked with students in two formats: 1) paid research assistant, and 2) independent study with academic credits. The first option is often project-based, and will usually have a formal announcement through Taubman College’s newsletter. The second option is opportunity-based. For the first option, they are likely to be announced in the first few weeks of the semesters, if any. For the second option, I am more likely to agree to advise an independent project if I already know that you are capable of conducting independent work and/or the project contributes to my research agenda.
Reference Letter
I usually write reference letters to students who have taken at least two of my courses or had actively worked with me through research assistantship or independent studies. Exceptions may be possible. If you have this intention, please come talk to me as early as possible so we can align expectations.
Working with me on research is a combination of skills, timing (e.g., alignment with research timeline), and my time availability. I often have to navigate a lot of timeline uncertainty and when I need to hire someone, I need them rather quickly. I am open to unstructured opportunities and student proposals. Feel free to email me and reach out.
PhD Applicant
If you are interested to work with me, I highly encourage you to reach out to me before application. During the admission process, the Faculty Admissions Committee will select some outstanding candidates from the applicant pool and faculty members with expertise in the applicant’s area are asked to evaluate these applications and indicate their availability to serve as the initial advisor. This advisor may change if the student’s interests evolve after enrollment. Our PhDs are fully funded by UMich Rackham Graduate School fellowships for 4-5 years.
If you are a underrepresented student from the United States and want to apply for UMich Urban and Regional Planning PhD, check out The Future Planning Scholars Program. International applicants should consider applying to the virtual Pre-Doctoral Workshop for Underrepresented Students of Color and LGBTQIA+ Students, or the International Planning Students Workshop, both held by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning.
MURP Applicant
To apply to our Urban and Regional Planning Master program, you do not need to seek out an advisor. I do not have Graduate Research Assistantships (tuition included kind) funding available at the moment. If you are a technically capable student agile in R, Python, and Geospatial Analysis, our college does offer a Graduate Student Instructor position for the Urban Informatics class I teach, which pays 60% tuition with additional stipends. This GSI position is only offered to students who have applied and admitted to the program, as an incentive to attract strong students, regardless of whether you are domestic or international. The position is offered and evaluated post-hoc based on your application materials and thus don’t need to reach out to me or the admission team in advance.