Future students Glacier Lab of Dr. Yanan Li

Current opportunities

I am looking for some graduate students to join my current ongoing research projects:

Reconstruction of the Holocene glacial history in the central Tian Shan

(The ideal candidate for this project is interested in working in the field at remote, high mountains, and can do laboratory work, such as crushing rocks and handling chemicals, and know some GIS and statistics.)

Recent glacier status and changes (e.g. surface elevation, ice velocity, volume, etc.)

(This work requires familarity of GIS and remote sensing techniques, in particular image classification, generation of DEM, feature-tracking, structure from motion, differencing DEMs and others. Geodetic measurements, fieldwork, and coding (e.g. Python) are preferred skills.)

Past climate change using tree rings and meterological data

(Lab-based analysis and geomatics/statistics/data visualization are required skills.)

More information regarding the research topics can be found at my research and publications. I encourage you to read the pages carefully to make sure you are making an informed decision. The glacier-based research will likely to be located either in Rocky Mountains of the United States or Tian Shan ranges in China. The climate studies will be in the Texas area or the Southwest US.

I also welcome queries from prospective graduate students with their own research ideas, so long as their research shares common topics with mine to a reasonable extent. However, if the gap between my research and your interest is too big so that I will not be able to provide you the best advising you need, I will recommend other proper professor/s from our large group of faculty here at TXState to you with no reservation.

I am committed to building an inclusive, productive, and diverse research group. I promise to treat everyone fairly and respectfully regardless of their ethnicity, color, socioeconomic background, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and age. I welcome interested applicants to contact me (y_l122@txstate.edu) with necessary information (see: Contacting me).

Admission to Texas State University

Programs we offer

The Department of Geography at the Texas State University offers both PhD and Master's program. If you decide to pursue a master's degree in geography at Texas State University, you can either choose the Master of Applied Geography Degree (MAGeo) or the Master of Science Degree (MS). For interested PhD applicants, you can choose from a Ph.D. Program in Geography, Geographic Education, or Geographic Information Science.

Please find more information regarding admission to the Texas State University and how to apply. These links have important, detailed information regarding the admission requirement, funding, and application processes.

Funding and Resources

Texas State University has the biggest geography department in the United States. The Department of Geography has been generous in terms of funding its students. The financial support of students is usually in the form of teaching and/or research assistantships. On top of that, the department offers a variety of scholarships. Financial support is also available in the form of travel grants, to support students for their field research as well as conference travels.

The Geography Department has abundant research resources, including physical geography, GIS, and Remote Sensing lab space. These labs are equipped with state-of-the-art research equipments and computers. The Geography Department has also been in close collaboration with other departments on campus, as well as other universities in this region.

International students

International students who want to apply our programs have to meet the requirements from the graduate school by providing required documents, including English proficiency test scores etc. Please also note that international applicants follow different deadlines than US domestic applicants. And, the departmental deadlines are at an ealier date in case you plan to apply assistantship.

Living in San Marcos

Outdoor life in San Marcos

San Marcos is located halfway between Austin and San Antonio along the Interstate 35. Living in San Marcos allows you to have easy access to these two big metropolitan areas without having to worry about traffic, high renting prices, and whatever comes with city life. San Marcos is famous for its outdoor life, especially water activities since the San Marcos and Blanco Rivers flow through it. If you are into hiking, San Marcos is located right by the Texas hill country, and there are unlimited hiking trails in your backyard. The city of San Marcos also have a large amount of green belts and outdoor areas.

It's great to live in Texas

You may also want to consider other benefits of living in Texas. The living cost in Texas is among the lowest in U.S. Texas does not collect state income tax, and that allows you to keep more money in your pocket. If you decide to stay in Texas after graduation (this is very likely), cities including Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin have many job opportunities. The Department of Geography also provides career services and other resources to help our students succeed in the job market.

If you are into outdoors, this could be your everyday

source: allpetsmedical.com

San Marcos River attracts water enthusiasts from all over the country

source: livability.com

Texas State University has a gorgeous campus sitting on the top of the hill

source: KSAT.com

How to contact me

Please feel free to email me for general inquiries. However, if you want your application to be seriously considered, please send over the following documents with the email:

A cover letter with:: your career goals, research interests, your research experience, research skills, why you are pursing graduate studies, and why you want to work with me.
A current CV that includes:: your undergraduate degree (and MS degree if you're applying PhD), university, relevant courses, GPA, GRE and TOEFL scores (for international applicants only).
Optional: a writing sample: This can be a published/drafted manuscript, a grant proposal, a report, or an essay. Feel free to also send me some maps, figures, code, or analyses you have produced. This helps me assess your skills to conduct research and communicate your ideas.

I regularly attend the annual meetings of the AAG and AGU, and find these conferences a great location to communicate with interested students. If you would like to meet me at the conference to ask about our program, my research projects, and other inquiries, please make arrangements with me prior to the conference.

Dr. Yanan "Nancy" Li

To future Students