Cold-emailing profs for research position

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orthomyxo

orthomyxo

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Is this a dumb idea or what? I just talked to my adviser and this is basically what he told me to do. As an undergrad peon, I feel like I'd just be pestering a bunch of really busy people.
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its what I did. worked out great.

Just write a paragraph long email with your interests (I wrote about virus work) and ask them if they are interested in taking on an UG, and if so, if they could set up a meeting.
 
If emailing doesn't work (i got alot of ignored emails), just directly ask some faculty members that do research and ask if they have any openings or if they know other faculty members who are looking for undergrad researchers. Its only a 5 minute conversation max and its not really as annoying as you think.
 
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emailing profs cold is how I got my research position ... you'll get a lot of cold shoulders but eventually someone will respond (I had one person out of like 10 respond to me)

Just write anyone who's doing research that interests you an email on why you would be interested in doing said research and ask if there are any positions open for undergraduate students.
 
If you have the time, it might be a good idea to come up with a short list of professors you are interested in working with and read a paper from each lab. Mention it in your email to them, it will make you seem very well prepared and that you have an understanding of what they're working on. Its how I got my undergrad research position (I just finished an honors thesis in the lab).
 
Now is a good time to start looking and emailing is not a terrible idea. As undergraduate seniors leave labs at the end of Spring often times labs will have openings for summer onwards(at least at my school).

Another thing you can do is ask other undergraduates who are doing research if there are openings in their labs. This is a good way to go sometimes because they might be able to direct you to a specific graduate student/postdoc who is looking for an undergrad peon. Also if you are close with any Professors sometimes they have a good idea who has openings and takes undergrads regularly.
 
xroc said:
emailing profs cold is how I got my research position ... you'll get a lot of cold shoulders but eventually someone will respond (I had one person out of like 10 respond to me)

Just write anyone who's doing research that interests you an email on why you would be interested in doing said research and ask if there are any positions open for undergraduate students.
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I did the same thing. I also got about one positive response for every ten or so. This is how I got two different amazing research jobs. Also, just a tip, it may pay to pick a field that is not as popular as others so professors might have more openings. I believe this is why I got good jobs, I emailed professors in computational chemistry (but make sure you are interested in the area of research).

Also, make sure to attach a resume and maybe a transcript. You can also say that you would be able to supply letters of recommendation if they would like.
 
It's really the best/only way to do it. That's how I got my first research experience in high school without having any connections (like some of my friends had).

And like some of the other posters said, you need to email like 20-30 professors and maybe one or two will tell you they have an opening.
 
It's a good idea; have someone skilled in writing take a look at your email before you send it out - you don't want to send out an email with a grammatical error.
 
What's the worst that's going to happen? That they hunt you down for pestering them? No, they'll just delete it and move on if they're not interested. If they do need someone at that time, it's perfect timing.
 
This is what I did. Trust me, it was awkward, especially since I started the summer after my freshman year. But I did get two responses out of ~40 emails sent, so it is possible.

I would mention that you are willing to work as a volunteer (if you can, that is), and I would send in your resume. Profs just want someone that's willing to learn and is hardworking, not necessarily someone who's the most skilled lab tech in the world. You'll probably be paired with a post-doc or grad student anyways, so the prof won't have to deal with you not knowing anything 😛

Good luck!
 
I can see it now - Chops369, research assistant to Dr. Schmo, a pioneer in the development of alternate methods of shoe-tying.
 
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What did your e-mails look like to the professors?

I want to get a research position before vet school starts and I did some research in undergrad, but I am completely blanking on how to write the e-mail.
 
SnowyRox said:
What did your e-mails look like to the professors?

I want to get a research position before vet school starts and I did some research in undergrad, but I am completely blanking on how to write the e-mail.
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When I cold emailed profs, I did a tiny bit of research on their backgrounds (i.e. just read the abstracts to some recent publications) and said how interested I was in whatever it was they were researching. When I was doing this I had no prior research experience so I didn't even know what my research interest were and just told every prof I liked what they did haha. I also attached a transcript and a resume (again, no research experience before otherwise I would have attached a CV) to the email just in case they were interested. I never heard back from most of them but the PI I ended up working was fantastic and opened a lot of doors.
 
I did it, but I would check their website first to see if they said anything like "For undergraduates interested in research, please send me blah blah blah."

That professor ended up being a tool, so I just asked my micro professor from that semester if he would let me do research with him. He said pretty much just said "Sure!" That was that.
 
I did the same thing. If you already have research experience, it would be a good idea to mention it and ask if you can send in your resume for consideration if there are any openings (don't send it in right away though).
 
TheProwler said:
I did it, but I would check their website first to see if they said anything like "For undergraduates interested in research, please send me blah blah blah."

That professor ended up being a tool, so I just asked my micro professor from that semester if he would let me do research with him. He said pretty much just said "Sure!" That was that.
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Blind emailing is good but if they have something like this on their website, don't bother. Also look for things like "currently not accepting students" or "going on sabbatical" etc..
 
TheProwler said:
I did it, but I would check their website first to see if they said anything like "For undergraduates interested in research, please send me blah blah blah."

That professor ended up being a tool, so I just asked my micro professor from that semester if he would let me do research with him. He said pretty much just said "Sure!" That was that.
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I checked all of their websites and none of them say anything about undergrads, which scares me.
 
That's how I got my research position. I emailed about 20 professors and got response for 4. You can also see if the science department at your school has a research program for undergrad students and apply through there.
 
Did the same thing after a stint elsewhere. I ended up being in the same lab for over 2 years.
 
Just another idea - Does your school's premed office or bio department have a listserv? A lot of my friends got research positions through ads sent out through listservs by professors seeking undergrads interested in research. If your school has these, join them!
 
aluminumleaflet said:
Just another idea - Does your school's premed office or bio department have a listserv? A lot of my friends got research positions through ads sent out through listservs by professors seeking undergrads interested in research. If your school has these, join them!
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I'm on the pre-med listserv. It's mostly a bunch of crap emails, except for the occasional list of local volunteer opportunities.
 
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Do it! You'll get plenty of no replies, but eventually one will turn out and everything will be rosy. That's what I did, out of maybe the whole chemistry + biology department that I cold-emailed, only ONE replied. She paired me up with another awesome pre-med and we had fun. There's nothing to lose there. But first make sure you know that these professors do research and read on what they do.
 
Chops369 said:
Is this a dumb idea or what? I just talked to my adviser and this is basically what he told me to do. As an undergrad peon, I feel like I'd just be pestering a bunch of really busy people.
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It's pretty much expected by the professors. Most savvy profs will have a website with contact info and usually info about joining the research group. They want people who are interested in and passionate about what they do.
 
Do it. I did it for shadowing as well. Meet them, tell them how interested you are and why and BOOM = new research position. 😀
 
I tried that at first, but it didn't work too well.

Instead, I approached my genetics professor during office hours and asked him for a position. Sometimes, going in person is the best possible scenario.
 
I currently work in a hospital research institute and actually get to read tons of "cold" e-mails sent to my PI. You'd really be surprised how many e-mails PIs get every week asking for a position. This being said, DO NOT send an e-mail without your CV. Also, DO NOT copy and paste the scientist's research interests from their webpage into your e-mail, and certainly DO NOT use horrible grammar, spelling and/or phrasing. I would also suggest keeping your e-mail to a solid paragraph or two, not a giant book. Like many have already said, just introduce yourself (I am Joe Schmoe from Premed University), say you're interested and why, and give some more background on yourself and career goals. Make yourself sound excited. It is so rare to find someone genuinely excited about doing research in the field of research; so PIs usually feel pretty happy to hear from someone that actually -wants- to research. Attach the CV. Make them want to meet you.

Also, if you live in a major city (sorry, I guess I could have checked but didn't), don't limit yourself to your school's professors! A lot of *cough* hospitals *cough* have not only well known PhDs, but also MDs that do really good research. Also, I would check the PIs publication list. Do they publish frequently (as in, like at least 4 journal articles a year)? If so, there is an awesome chance you could get your name on a paper if you work hard.

Finally, if you -really- like a lab and don't get a response, go for the follow up phone call.

Sadly enough, most of the undergrads and high school kids we get in my lab have some social connection with my PI. Neighbor, son of lady that works in similar lab, etc. Certainly if you have connections and want to be lazy, go ahead and use those :corny:

note:....after re-reading my post...I think I might be too hardcore about research...😱
 
Post docs love undergrads who will do the tasks they can't be bothered to do, especially for free.
 
Tatertots said:
You have never done anything? You have no GPA? Short and simple works.
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I have no teaching experience, no research experience, and no professional experience, so writing my GPA and stupid volunteering down and calling it a CV is a bit of a stretch.
 
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Chops369 said:
I have no teaching experience, no research experience, and no professional experience, so writing my GPA and stupid volunteering down and calling it a CV is a bit of a stretch.
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everyone starts somewhere. muster up some enthusiasm and drop by some professor's office. it's easier for if it's someone whose class you attended.
 
Haha, ever since last week, I been getting rejected from other professors simply because their lab are full. I did not email them or anything because I knew that it would take forever for them to answer, so I decided to go to their office. One of the PI initially told me that his lab is full but then I went there again to ask him again because I really wanna work in his lab. He then told me about one of his undergrad is prob graduating and asked me to send him my CV.

Bottom line is just keep trying. I prefer asking them in person though
 
I think cold emailing grad students is better. Usually more opportunities.
 
S did and it worked out great for him. He found a person doing research that interested him & wrote an email basically stating who he was, that he had read about his research and wanted to know if there was a time they could meet to discuss S helping him with that research. PI called him the next day, set up a mtg 3 days later and been working for 2 years since.
 
yes, do it. that's how most people get their research jobs. you'll get some non-responses, some rejections, but whatever. the first acceptance is the one that matters. go to a department site and list down email addresses for research areas you're interested.

even if you haven't had any research/job experiences before just emphasize that you're a hardworker, etc. and any classes you've taken that can supplement the research.

you have nothing to lose
 
Chops - Yes, we get CVs from high school students all the time. It has their GPA, their school related activities (honors, leader of such and such club), and their volunteer work. You can also put what kind of biology labs you have taken so far (e.g. microbiology lab, biology lab, plant phys lab...).
 
How would one go about re-emailing a professor about research? I contacted him through email once and he invited me to his office. He discussed what his research was about and told how I could get started and seemed genuinely interested in letting me in his lab, despite being an inexperienced freshman. He emailed me 4 articles to read to later "discuss" with him. 2 weeks later, I emailed and he didn't reply. I emailed again a week later. And then a week later. It's been a month now, and I called once to hear his voicemail saying he's out of office until the 18th....but its been a week since the 18th... I can't visit his office because visitors can only enter by appointment to his office.

I don't want to seem like a pushy undergraduate and all, but I REALLY REALLY want to be in his lab. It was the most interesting kind of stuff i'd ever heard. What to do....
 
MissKay said:
How would one go about re-emailing a professor about research? I contacted him through email once and he invited me to his office. He discussed what his research was about and told how I could get started and seemed genuinely interested in letting me in his lab, despite being an inexperienced freshman. He emailed me 4 articles to read to later "discuss" with him. 2 weeks later, I emailed and he didn't reply. I emailed again a week later. And then a week later. It's been a month now, and I called once to hear his voicemail saying he's out of office until the 18th....but its been a week since the 18th... I can't visit his office because visitors can only enter by appointment to his office.

I don't want to seem like a pushy undergraduate and all, but I REALLY REALLY want to be in his lab. It was the most interesting kind of stuff i'd ever heard. What to do....
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Something similar to this happened with me when I was trying to join my first lab. When you send subsequent emails (after being ignored), you should forward the previous email so they'll see the time stamp and realize that they never replied to it. Worked for me (and for the person from whom I first heard this tip). If it's a large lab, you may also want to try contacting a postdoc or grad student.
 
Another way to approach it is to e-mail asking to set up a meeting to talk about their research, without necessarily asking for a position right off the bat. Professors are surprisingly open to meeting with random undergrads about their research, and they can also tell that you might be interested in working with them from this type of e-mail. It's always easier to talk about open opportunities, etc., face to face, and even if they have no openings, you still get a chance to talk to them and they might be able to recommend other labs that do have positions.
 
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