Join the Lab

We are searching for a Postdoctoral Scholar to join the Brook Lab! Please see here for details. Application review begins on June 25, 2026 and will be rolling thereafter!

Applications for the Brook Lab manager position are currently closed and under review. Candidates who have applied will be notified of their status within the next two weeks.

This page last updated June 15, 2026.

A note on diversity and inclusion

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We are an equal-opportunity group, committed to enacting anti-racist and anti-sexist policies to promote inclusivity in our lab, the biological sciences, and the academy. We believe that black lives matter, women’s rights are human rights, and no life is illegal. Applicants from underrepresented backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and lifestyles are enthusiastically encouraged to apply to any of the positions outlined below.

 

PhD Positions

I have now closed applications for PhD students to join my group in fall 2026 (fall 2025 application cycle). In general, my lab attracts motivated students with broad interests in disease ecology, conservation biology, and/or epidemiology who are eager to undertake a multi-faceted PhD involving some combination of field study, molecular work, and dynamical modeling. For recruits to start in AY2027-2028, I am particularly interested in a field-capable graduate student with a strong interest and/or background in international research and a desire to spend extensive amounts of time in Madagascar. I am also interested in students with strong wet lab skills in molecular detection of viruses in biological samples (PCR + NGS) or serological detection of antibodies in field-collected serum. Finally, I am always interested in students with a background or interest in building and fitting dynamical, mechanistic transmission models to infectious disease data and/or matrix population models to abundance data. Please see the UC Berkeley Department of Integrative Biology for details on graduate applications.

Postdocs

We are currently searching for a Postdoctoral Scholar in the broad field of ‘Bat Infectious Disease’! Please see here for details on the desired qualifications and a link to the application site.

Undergraduates

We have several UC Berkeley undergraduate researchers in the lab at any given time and many small projects available for an interested student. As a policy, I do not allow undergrads to intern without pay, a practice that has been shown to exacerbate inequities in opportunity and access. We do not currently have any specific positions available at this time; however, UC Berkeley abounds with opportunities for proactive undergrads to acquire funding to carry out mentored research.

Undergraduates wishing to conduct summer research should explore funding opportunities through URAP, SURF, and Rose Hills programs at UC Berkeley.

If you are an undergrad with an interest in applying for one of these opportunities to conduct research in the lab, please email me at cbrook@berkeley.edu to set up a meeting to discuss! The earlier you reach out prior to these deadlines, the better.

Field Technicians

We typically employ two Field Technicians in one-year positions based in Madagascar. These technicians work with Association Ekipa Fanihy to undertake bat capture and collection of biological samples for our longterm project, as well as rudimentary laboratory processing. These positions are targeted towards American post-baccalaureate students eager to work with Malagasy PhD students on Ekipa Fanihy. I have found this to be a rewarding experience for both American and Malagasy students in the past, allowing both parties to engage in scientific and cultural exchange.

Please see the field technician page for a description of the last job posting. Please contact Cara Brook at cbrook@berkeley.edu with any questions. We will likely hire again in January 2027 for a ~April/May 2027 start date.

Outside of my lab, if you are interested in finding research positions in the field, you may want to explore the following job boards or research opportunities: