"cold emailing" doctors

[Doctor246853]

I have been trying to get into a UTSW lab to do research (or get my foot in the door) and got to the point where Im gona email alot of docs. I have a list of names but dont know exactly what to say. What should I include? Is that a good idea? Should I say Ill do it for free (volunteer) even thought I really need the money? Do they even check these emails? If any of you have tried this with success, what did you say? I have NO research experience but I am interested and dont know how to get that across through an email. I would really appreciate your help. thanks.

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[jc235693]

Hi,

Cold emailing PIs is a good way to try to get a research position. I got a paid research position last summer by cold emailing a bunch of people so it does work. I would e-mail the professors you have researched and say something along the lines of

I am an undergrad interested in getting some research experience, I have a broad interest in X and your work on Y seems really interesting. I was wondering you had any space in your lab to take on an undergrad (for the summer/semester/whatever). I look forward to discussing this with you further.

My tips are to keep it short and to the point most PIs don't have the time or desire to read a long e-mail with your whole life story and why you need to get into their lab. Also, email a decent amount of people as some wont even respond to you and others will not have the lab space. Also I would leave out questions about compensation until you have been offered a position. You may get lucky and be offered a paid position. If they just offer you a position and don't specify if it is volunteer or paid you can politely ask if there is any compensation. If you only get an unpaid position but its in a lab that you are really interested in/well known you should really consider it anyway since it might end up being a really valuable experience. Best of Luck!

 

[Doctor246853]

Hi,

Cold emailing PIs is a good way to try to get a research position. I got a paid research position last summer by cold emailing a bunch of people so it does work. I would e-mail the professors you have researched and say something along the lines of

I am an undergrad interested in getting some research experience, I have a broad interest in X and your work on Y seems really interesting. I was wondering you had any space in your lab to take on an undergrad (for the summer/semester/whatever). I look forward to discussing this with you further.

My tips are to keep it short and to the point most PIs don't have the time or desire to read a long e-mail with your whole life story and why you need to get into their lab. Also, email a decent amount of people as some wont even respond to you and others will not have the lab space. Also I would leave out questions about compensation until you have been offered a position. You may get lucky and be offered a paid position. If they just offer you a position and don't specify if it is volunteer or paid you can politely ask if there is any compensation. If you only get an unpaid position but its in a lab that you are really interested in/well known you should really consider it anyway since it might end up being a really valuable experience. Best of Luck!

I love you😕... I mean THANKS that is exactly what I was looking for. I have about 50 names and I guesstimate I will hear back from at least 10??? maybe. Is this enough? I have access to their intranet database since I work at Parkland and there are HUNDREDS of PI's. I looked at a few of their websites and all the members are at least M.S. or Ph.d students. A few are RA's with their BA. Im just a premed🙁. Do I state that I have no experience but want to learn or just leave that out?

 

[once]

Most professors don't expect undergrads to make humongous contributions to the lab. Most of all, they just want undergrad students who seem interested in their research. Students who are interested in what they are doing are motivated to go above and beyond and perhaps a few of the interested students will end up making huge contributions to the lab. Showing interest as an undergrad is also good to offset the monotony of the 7th year postdocs and people in the lab like that I think.

I would include the "no research experience" and would mention relevant coursework and include a resume.

 

[Doctor246853]

Most professors don't expect undergrads to make humongous contributions to the lab. Most of all, they just want undergrad students who seem interested in their research. Students who are interested in what they are doing are motivated to go above and beyond and perhaps a few of the interested students will end up making huge contributions to the lab. Showing interest as an undergrad is also good to offset the monotony of the 7th year postdocs and people in the lab like that I think.

I would include the "no research experience" and would mention relevant coursework and include a resume.

I am VERY interested in research but I dont know how to show it through email besides saying " Im interested." I dont have anything relevant in my resume ( its all clinical/medical and patient care). Even my coursework is weak.

 

[guavas]

do exactly what jc235693 said. that's perfect advice. Make sure to mention your year as well. And personally, I would stick to emailing maybe 10-15 of your favorites first, then moving on to the others if you have to after a week or so (assuming you have time).

Find out if your school has work study if you need money. chances are you won't get paid with no experience, though you do find the occasional PI with money to blow.

edit: to show your interest just mention some of their work that you find cool. Classes do not really matter in most labs, to be honest. My coursework just started helping me now in the lab, as a senior taking molecular and cell bio

 

[kansaskid]

I cold emailed researchers when I was interested in working in a lab. I told them in a short email that I was interested in what they were working on (after reading some of their publications and info online), and that I was looking to gain some research experience for a semester. I also said that I was a fast learner and able to work for whatever compensation the department could give.

I ended up working (and getting paid) in two labs as a basic lab assistant and even got to design a couple projects of my own! This was at a big research university, too, so it's definitely possible to find positions as an undergrad.

At my small, liberal arts college, people would just directly ask professors after class, but I never worked there. Good luck!

 

[jsh52]

I have been trying to get into a UTSW lab to do research (or get my foot in the door) and got to the point where Im gona email alot of docs. I have a list of names but dont know exactly what to say. What should I include? Is that a good idea? Should I say Ill do it for free (volunteer) even thought I really need the money? Do they even check these emails? If any of you have tried this with success, what did you say? I have NO research experience but I am interested and dont know how to get that across through an email. I would really appreciate your help. thanks.

If you are willing to work for free, you won't have a problem. Trust me! My own PI would probably be all over that. Times are hard and money is short in academia, whether you are working at a private or public university.

-4th year doctoral student

 

[sgtbrushes]

I am VERY interested in research but I dont know how to show it through email besides saying " Im interested." I dont have anything relevant in my resume ( its all clinical/medical and patient care). Even my coursework is weak.

Make your e-mail as positive as possible. Don't pretend that you have no weaknesses, but focus on how much you are interested in what they are researching (Do your homework), describe your initiative, work ethic, etc.

 

[Syqers]

In my experience, every researcher I've ever emailed has been interested in free labor. I would recommend only emailing 5 of your favorites or so to start because it is likely that almost all of them will want you.

 

[Doctor246853]

Man you guys are great! Im going to start emails today. Im interested in ALOT of research that Ive seen (at least 30 of the 50 I have) should I make a generic email and kinda change the interest part in as I send it to a different PI? Thanks alot of emailing.

 

[jsh52]

Man you guys are great! Im going to start emails today. Im interested in ALOT of research that Ive seen (at least 30 of the 50 I have) should I make a generic email and kinda change the interest part in as I send it to a different PI? Thanks alot of emailing.

I would probably pick my top 5, as another poster said, and make the e-mail more specialized to them. Say that you are interested in volunteering to help out in the lab and want to know if you can stop by to chat more, see the lab, meet other lab members. You also want to know what your role in the lab will be (will you have a project? or just making solutions?). Free labor is nice, but it's really not free for the PI because he/she will have to train you (or make a graduate student, research associate, etc.) and hope you don't flake out in the end. We've been there. It happens about 80% of the time when we get an undergrad. So as much as PIs DO love free labor, they hate training people who work for 2 months and leave. Or who work a year but show up once every 2 weeks.

I would ultimately make my decision (because you will have choices!) based upon the 1) how it suits your research goals and 2) lab personnel and PI quality. Trust me--you DON'T want to be stuck in a lab with a bunch of people you hate, so you should meet them before you commit. Do NOT necessarily pick based on the research you think is most interesting. This is a fatal error that most students make lol, as crazy as it sounds. It will get boring at times (this is coming from 6+ years of research experience), but if you are in a good lab, they will keep you motivated and interested (as will a good PI). I picked my lab for doctoral research based on two factors:
1) Avg graduation time for students.
2) How much I liked the PI. <-This was the most important criteria in the end, by far. I'm beating a dead horse lol but really--you and PI need to be compatible.

 

[Doctor246853]

I would probably pick my top 5, as another poster said, and make the e-mail more specialized to them. Say that you are interested in volunteering to help out in the lab and want to know if you can stop by to chat more, see the lab, meet other lab members. You also want to know what your role in the lab will be (will you have a project? or just making solutions?). Free labor is nice, but it's really not free for the PI because he/she will have to train you (or make a graduate student, research associate, etc.) and hope you don't flake out in the end. We've been there. It happens about 80% of the time when we get an undergrad. So as much as PIs DO love free labor, they hate training people who work for 2 months and leave. Or who work a year but show up once every 2 weeks.

I would ultimately make my decision (because you will have choices!) based upon the 1) how it suits your research goals and 2) lab personnel and PI quality. Trust me--you DON'T want to be stuck in a lab with a bunch of people you hate, so you should meet them before you commit. Do NOT necessarily pick based on the research you think is most interesting. This is a fatal error that most students make lol, as crazy as it sounds. It will get boring at times (this is coming from 6+ years of research experience), but if you are in a good lab, they will keep you motivated and interested (as will a good PI). I picked my lab for doctoral research based on two factors:
1) Avg graduation time for students.
2) How much I liked the PI. <-This was the most important criteria in the end, by far. I'm beating a dead horse lol but really--you and PI need to be compatible.

Ok. I will do.👍 I'll pick out about 5 or so PIs and give it a shot. I think it will be harder for me since it is at a medical school and they probably have enough medical students bugging them.

 

[jsh52]

Ok. I will do.👍 I'll pick out about 5 or so PIs and give it a shot. I think it will be harder for me since it is at a medical school and they probably have enough medical students bugging them.

My lab is in a medical school too. 😉 I doubt you will have problems finding a lab. Let us know how it goes! 🙂

 

[iusesharpies]

Saying you would like to "get started in research" is a good way to show you are interested while making it clear you have zero experience.

 

[acb88]

I agree with what everyone else has said. I did just that at UTSW for my current job. Mention that you don't have any experience, but would like to get your foot in the door, and make sure to include why you are interested in their lab specifically. I wouldn't mention anything about money until they actually express interest in you, but most positions here are paid, even internships. I would take maybe your top 10-15 labs and shoot them an e-mail. I heard back within a couple of days from most, if not all of them. UTSW is a great place because it is so heavily focused on education that a lot of PIs are more than willing to take on unexperienced students. There are more than enough labs to go around, so competition with medical students should not be an issue.

If you want to PM me with a list of PIs that you are interested in, I can take a look and see if I know anything about any of them or give you any suggestions.

 

[Doctor246853]

My lab is in a medical school too. 😉 I doubt you will have problems finding a lab. Let us know how it goes! 🙂

Man you guys are great! I took everyone's advice and got in a lab at my school researching genetics. (It was alot harder than everyone said though) The PI said he requires a MIN (and he stressed min) of 15hrs a week. I gladly accepted since I have been bustin my ***** to get into a lab. I assume this is a good amount of hours? I will be starting this right after my summer internship! Perfect. Thanks to you all!🙂

 

[Suncrusher]

Man you guys are great! I took everyone's advice and got in a lab at my school researching genetics. (It was alot harder than everyone said though) The PI said he requires a MIN (and he stressed min) of 15hrs a week. I gladly accepted since I have been bustin my ***** to get into a lab. I assume this is a good amount of hours? I will be starting this right after my summer internship! Perfect. Thanks to you all!🙂

That's a pretty normal amount of minimum hours, for my undergrad at least. Good luck with your project 👍

 

[estradiol9]

bump for a pretty awesome thread. will be using some of this advice. 👍

 

[BiopsychStudent]

I have been trying to get into a UTSW lab to do research (or get my foot in the door) and got to the point where Im gona email alot of docs. I have a list of names but dont know exactly what to say. What should I include? Is that a good idea? Should I say Ill do it for free (volunteer) even thought I really need the money? Do they even check these emails? If any of you have tried this with success, what did you say? I have NO research experience but I am interested and dont know how to get that across through an email. I would really appreciate your help. thanks.

Cold-emailing is fine. When I was job hunting contacting the PI's I was interested in by email was what got me the most interviews. Just be sure to tailor your email to why you'd like to be involved in 'their' research specifically.

As a general rule you don't want to offer to volunteer if you're looking for a paying job, because they're going to jump at the chance for free undergrad labor. But if you have no research experience then you might have to settle for a volunteer position, since there will be other students (and post-baccs) 'with' research experience who will be going after paying jobs.

Now if this is your own school you're looking to do research at, and you have no experience, consider contacting professors who've taught classes you did well in. That way you can say something to the effect of "I took your genetics class last Fall and was really fascinated by the material, so I read some of your lab's work, and I am very interested in learning how I might get involved..." etc. So use any connections you have and try to contact professors who know you're a responsible and good student: they might be more willing to trust you.

 

[HH Holmes]

Congrats! Not only do you now have a research position, but you have a very likely letter of recommendation as well. 15 hrs/wk isn't bad if you're doing it over the summer... Think about it, that averages out to 3 hrs/day if you work every weekday. If it's during the school year, understand that a lot of lab time is waiting around for tests to complete. In between my junior and senior year of high school I went to Vanderbilt University Med Center and did research for ~6 weeks. I was there for about 8-10 hours per day (6 days a week), but I got A LOT of reading and studying done since I would be waiting for tests to complete, gels to form etc...

Congrats again 🙂

 

[osumc2014]

Good for you! Remember, work super hard in lab, always do more than expected, you will be well rewarded

 

[Doctor246853]

Congrats! Not only do you now have a research position, but you have a very likely letter of recommendation as well. 15 hrs/wk isn't bad if you're doing it over the summer... Think about it, that averages out to 3 hrs/day if you work every weekday. If it's during the school year, understand that a lot of lab time is waiting around for tests to complete. In between my junior and senior year of high school I went to Vanderbilt University Med Center and did research for ~6 weeks. I was there for about 8-10 hours per day (6 days a week), but I got A LOT of reading and studying done since I would be waiting for tests to complete, gels to form etc...

Congrats again 🙂

Thanks! The summer research is 40hrs a week though (Its not with my school). The 15per week is during the fall and spring. Yeah he told me he writes alot of LORs for premed and grad students and they all got in (Im guessing they were very competitive of course). I do all the other premed stuff also and didnt want it to cut into my studing time since Im taking all science courses this upcoming fall.

 

[MissionSeeker]

Thanks! The summer research is 40hrs a week though (Its not with my school). The 15per week is during the fall and spring. Yeah he told me he writes alot of LORs for premed and grad students and they all got in (Im guessing they were very competitive of course). I do all the other premed stuff also and didnt want it to cut into my studing time since Im taking all science courses this upcoming fall.

I have been reading this post! And its so helpful, considering to recommend this thread to some of my peers and friends that are craving for research experience!
by the way, Doctor246853 congratz! 👍 hope you are enjoying your current lab. And thank you for making this great thread! Very informative.

 

[Doctor246853]

I have been reading this post! And its so helpful, considering to recommend this thread to some of my peers and friends that are craving for research experience!
by the way, Doctor246853 congratz! 👍 hope you are enjoying your current lab. And thank you for making this great thread! Very informative.

Yeah thanks. Good luck to your friends too! The only downside is I have to quit my job in the O.R.🙁 I guess this amount of clinical experience will have to suffice. I'm ready for the laboratory scene now.👍