Cold emailing professors for research

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I'm a freshman trying to cold email some professors so I can find a research position for the Spring semester. Can anyone give me some general advice on looking for professors to cold email for research? Most of the people in my research area are medical school teachers and I'm scared to cold email them since I'm pretty sure they don't even teach undergraduates. Should I aim lower?

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You should be able to find a list of professors and their research on your university's website and find ones that do work that's interesting to you. Also, don't be afraid to email anyone. As long as you're polite, the worst they can say is no or not email you back.
 
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Look up publications of these professors to get an idea of what the lab does. Showing that you bothered to read about what the lab does and that you're actually interested in their work will score you points. In an email, you can impress them by mentioning that you read their publications. There's no harm in sending a brief, polite email introducing yourself, casually mentioning that you've read their publications, and explaining what you can offer the lab and what the lab can offer you. Many professors who don't teach undergrads may be open to having an undergrad in the lab. It depends on the individual circumstances of the lab/PI.

Remember a "no" may not mean that you weren't qualified and they didn't like you. The lab may not have enough funding to pay you, or their postdocs are brand new and not in a position to mentor undergrads, or they already have 5 undergrads and don't want more, or the PI was just recruited to industry and the lab's closing down, etc. etc. Good luck!
 
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