Finding Research Position

[Happensinvegas]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hey Y'all:

I am a rising junior at a medium sized, top public university studying chemistry. I am looking to get involved in research for my remaining 2 years at the university. So far, I have had no luck and I was wondering if y'all have any tips. Here is what I've got going on so far:

1. I contacted a research liaison for the chemistry department. She is a grad student who's job it is to help undergrads find research in the chemistry department. She sent me a list of all the Chemistry department faculty, their research, group pages, and emails.

2. The liaison also went over my resume, cover letter, and the email format that I am using to make sure it looks good, and edited what needed to be fixed.

3. I have a pretty good resume: In sum, I have a 3.8 GPA. Honors College. I've taken 9 Upper level chemistry courses, including 3 lab courses. I worked in medical research for 6 months during an internship abroad.

4. Over the past 3 weeks, I have emailed now 17 professors in the Chemistry department who have research along my lines of interests (Biochemistry, Organic chemistry and Solar-Energy/Bio-fuel chemistry). I have taken classes with 6 of these professors.

5. The outcomes:
1 Interview - Was not selected
6 Responses - All stated they didn't have any undergrad positions open, but wished me good luck in my search.
(Of these 6 responses 2 of them admitted I looked like a great candidate)
2 Automatic-Out-of-office Responses - Both are out of the office for the next 3 weeks.
8 - No response at all

I am now fresh out of faculty who conduct research in the fields I am very interested in. I am about to move into the territory of contacting faculty whose research doesn't necessarily interest me, but also doesn't NOT-interest me. (i.e. research that I don't know much about so I don't know if I like it or not). Also a lot of this research won't have any connection to medicine.

I was wondering if y'all have any specific advice about how to make my next move. Do I contact the professors who never responded again? Do I look elsewhere? Do I essentially give-up and try to find some other activity to fill my time? Any help would be nice. I want to be able to get involved in research ASAP, when I get back to school for fall semester (it's only a month away).

EDIT:: I forgot to mention, for all of these positions I am applying as a volunteer. I am not asking for money, and I am not even asking for labs that qualify for academic credit.

 

[Weirdy]

Re-contact the ones with no response.

Find out their office hours and meet in person.

Consider other research projects that may not be Chem related/what you want but is still research.

Consider volunteering in a lab with professors who have mentioned your resume is competitive instead of being paid/credited in an official position.

Just because its not "med" related, doesn't mean it looks less impressive on your CV. Personal anecdote- I ended up in a lab working on cold exposure biomarkers and lipid biomarkers. Although it wasn't in the department I wanted (Human Development and Education instead of BIO/CHEM) a lot of the stuff they were doing were still completely med related. Also worked in a lab for the PSYCH department looking at effects of depression on cardiovascular disease. Again not directly what I wanted or even within the department I majored in, but still "med" related.

Loosen up. Keep trying. Be open to other projects. Worse case consider a school or med center nearby that might have the same opportunities and go there a few times a week.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

Don't worry about whether the research you'll be doing is connected to medicine. Adcoms won't care. What's more important is that you learn about the research process.

I think it's fine to reach out again to anyone who never got back to you the first time around. It's summer; people are busy. If email didn't pan out, you could try visiting some PIs in person during the first week of the semester. Maybe the liaison you mentioned can tell you when they have office hours or something. It's easy for emails to get lost in the shuffle and, in my opinion, it's easier to convince someone that you're committed if you show up in person.

Given that 6 people said they don't have any positions open, it sounds like research positions may be in high demand at your school. If you don't end up finding anything for this coming school year, start making connections so that you can be doing research next year or over the summer. That might mean taking a class with someone you know you'd want to do research with or introducing yourself to more professors/grad students.

Lastly, obviously, it's ideal to find a research opportunity in an area of study that really interests you. But maybe trying something new and exploring a new area wouldn't be so bad either. Your call! But overall, keep at it and hopefully something pans out!

 

[JustAPhD]

Also a lot of this research won't have any connection to medicine.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. It's more important to learn the scientific method and develop your critical thinking skills; research doesn't need to be medically related for this to happen.

I was wondering if y'all have any specific advice about how to make my next move. Do I contact the professors who never responded again? Do I look elsewhere? Do I essentially give-up and try to find some other activity to fill my time? Any help would be nice. I want to be able to get involved in research ASAP, when I get back to school for fall semester (it's only a month away).

Unfortunately your story isn't very unique, it can take some people a ton of time to find a lab to work in while others seem to fall into labs with hardly any effort exerted. I would recommend you keep reaching out to possible profs, cast a wide net as they say. You can brush up on some of the prospective PIs' research so that you have a bit of a better understanding if you would like the research or not. Make sure to thank any PIs who you get into touch with, even if they don't have any room. You never know when a spot will open up!

Do I contact the professors who never responded again?

You can, give them a few weeks between emails though. Keep in mind it is the summer, some may be vacationing and not checking their emails very often.