Getting a Research Position

First of all, don’t stress if you’re reading this as not-a-freshman-anymore, and worrying that it’s too late for you to work in a lab on campus. There are plenty of people that take on their first undergraduate positions in their sophomore, middler, and even junior years. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t start looking into it as early as possible of course, but hope is not lost.

The first thing about asking a professor to work in their lab is knowing that professors get a lot of those emails. Since there are obviously limited spaces, many of these emails get thrown out without a response. However, by putting in just a little bit of effort into making your email more thoughtful and poised than the average, you increase your chances of getting that position dramatically.

Once you know what approximately what field you want to be in, you can asking around for professors that do research in that area. Use all of your resources for this! You can check online on the physics faculty page, talk to your advisor, or ask a professor in one of your classes if they know of colleagues working in a certain area. Don’t be afraid to go and talk to people! Often, your advisor and professors will exactly the people to connect you with that are looking for undergraduate help in their labs.

Now that you’ve made a list of professors, it’s time to deep dive into their work. Get to know exactly what they study, and do some reading up on their previous works. Google Scholar is a great resource for this. Find their five most recent papers and read the abstracts for each of them. Are the topics of study something you would be interested in studying yourself? Pick one of the papers that you found especially interesting and skim it in its entirety. Note down something that you especially liked, and why you liked it. You’re now ready to send your email.

When it comes to writing your email, we suggest something similar to this template from the University of California, Santa Cruz (there are other great examples available on that site as well):

Subject: Meeting to discuss undergraduate research opportunities in topic

Dear Dr. Professor,

I am a year student at university majoring in major. How you found out about the professor's research. Expression of interest in specific paper or topic. I would appreciate the chance to talk with you about your research in topic of interest and about possible undergraduate opportunities in your lab.

My experience in research experience or class, confirmed my intention to develop my research skills and goal. I know you are very busy. We could schedule an appointment or I can drop by your office hours on day and time.

I have attached my resume and unofficial transcript. Please let me know if there is any other information I can provide. I look forward to talking to you soon.

Best, Name