Many students want to get involved in research to gain skills in research techniques, learn how to conduct independent projects, explore research as a possible career path, or further an interest outside of the classroom. However, that’s often easier thought than done. 

Professors here want students in their labs! It can be really intimidating to approach and contact professors as an undergraduate student, but in reality, 40% of College of Human Ecology students are involved in research with a professor at Cornell—it is one of the things that makes Human Ecology such a wonderful place to be! In this blog post, I will be covering search strategies for finding research opportunities, when to contact professors, how to contact professors, what the first meeting is typically like, and how to choose a lab. Please feel free to skip to the section that is most relevant to you. Let’s get right into it!

How do you find on-campus research opportunities?

• Establish your interests.

A good place to start is asking yourself what you’re interested in. What fields do you want to conduct research in? Is there a particular group of people or organisms that you’re interested in? What kinds of real-world impact would you like the research to have? Are you interested in wet labs (occurs on a lab bench, with chemicals, biological substances, and/or liquids), dry labs (research is mostly computational, and involves building models), social science labs, or field work?

It’s totally okay if you’re not really sure! The point of trying out research early is to figure out what you might be interested in exploring further.

It is worth doing this with a friend, professors, upperclassmen, or even with someone at the Career Exploration Center. Many times, people can describe how they found their research interests.

• Find labs that match those interests.

Once your interests are established, it is time to find out the professors who might match them. 

First, it might be worth considering whether there are professors you might already know and be familiar with. These might be faculty advisors, faculty-in-residence, professors whose classes you’ve taken, or professors whose classes you’ve TA’d for. It’s always better if you have an established relationship already, but it’s absolutely not required. There are a number of directories to look through; including the one for Human Ecology, by department. 

Remember, the professor can be in any college or department at Cornell, so you’ve got a lot of options! 

So how do you ask professors about research opportunities? 

Okay, so you’ve made a list of professors whose research interests you. You’ve read some of their publications and gotten really excited and/or confused. Now, how do you actually express that you want to conduct research with them?

• Office hours

This generally only applies if you’re in the professor’s class, but occasionally, professors do post office hours online. This might also be an option for the courageous, as it does involve having the first conversation face-to-face. 

Basically, the goal is to be honest but polite. Start the conversation by explaining that you’d like to join a research lab, and giving an overview of your research interests. Let the conversation flow organically. If they have a position, they may offer it to you!

• Cold-emailing

Cold-emailing describes when an email is sent to a person you have never met before. It can seem very strange, but it is actually a really good way to reach out to professors who you may not already know. It does mean, however, that your email should be concise while conveying genuine interest. There are a number of components to a cold email. 

1. A general introduction about you, including, but not limited to, what your major is, what year you are, where you’re from, how you found their lab, what connections you might already have to them, and what semester/time period you’d like to start
2. Why you want to join their lab, which includes specific references to their research
3. Why they should want you to join their lab, by describing either your enthusiasm or your experience
4. Expression of the desire to meet and what times you’re available to meet

If you’d like to, some people also attach their resume and transcript, but again, keep it concise! Some professors may have automatic filters for emails with attachments from unknown contacts. Come to the CEC if you’d like to get your email looked at!

Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get a response–usually, it’s not personal. They don’t reply for a number of reasons. They may have simply missed the email, or they may not have any positions available. 

• Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up!

If they don’t respond within a week, it can also be an opportunity to send a short follow-up email. It only needs to be 1-2 sentences long, re-expressing your continued interest in the lab and making note of the date you sent your last email. 

When do you start reaching out?

It’s never too early or too late to reach out! In terms of academic years, some students reach out as early as for the freshman spring semester, but there is absolutely no rush to get involved in research. Get involved whenever you feel ready. 

Once you’ve decided that you’d like to get involved for a particular semester, there are definitely a few things to consider when deciding when to start contacting professors. 

• Early shows interest, but may involve many follow-up emails. 

Often, professors are not quite sure of any openings until the start of the semester you may be interested in. They may either email you back with this information, or not email you at all. It does, however, provide a good opportunity for you to set-up follow-up meetings/emails that demonstrate your continued interest! 

• Looking for a summer opportunity?

Professors are always looking for new students to join their labs during the summer, because many of their students head home. Contacting for summer opportunities can start as early as the fall semester, and is definitely a viable option! Come see us at the CEC for tips on how to get your summer research funded; the Human Ecology summer research stipend deadline is coming up, but it is just one option of many.

• Late is not necessarily a bad thing. 

Getting involved in research for credit is considered ‘Special Studies’. As such, the courses can be added as late as a month after the semester begins (note: some positions are also paid; in that case, it’s only up to you and the professor)! Many students are still meeting with professors at the beginning of the semester they’d like to get involved, and still others join halfway through the semester but forgo the credit. 

Preparing for the Interview

Awesome, you’ve managed to plan a meeting time with a professor! 

…

What’s the meeting going to be like?

In my experience, the meetings are typically very informal. The professors are simply interested in getting to know you, and what you’d like to get out of research. As an undergraduate, they typically have little expectation that you have any relevant experiences, unless otherwise specified. 

I recommend answering the following questions for yourself beforehand:

1. What about the professor’s research stuck out for you, and made you want to pursue research in their lab?
2. What would you like to get out of research? Any specific techniques you’d like to learn, experiences you’d like to have? 
3. What questions do you have for the professor? 

It is a good idea to bring a printed copy of your resume and transcript to the meeting and dress up nicely, but not formally. Think of it as what you’d wear on the first day of school.

If you’re meeting with other professors as well, make sure to let the professor know during the meeting that you need a few days (or however long) to consider their offer. 

What to consider when choosing a lab?

It can be a wonderful problem to have when multiple labs have given you offers, but you only have time for one lab (note: This is not always the case! Some people are able to manage multiple projects at multiple labs, while others cannot. It all depends on the situation and your schedule). Here are some things to keep in mind; they should also be questions that come up during meetings with the professor. 

1. Would you be conducting independent research, or helping a post-doctoral student or grad student with theirs? 
2. How many hours a week are you planning on spending in the lab? This can change the compensation that you receive, and the number of credits you might take research for. 
3. What time of the day and days of the week are you typically available to work? Is the lab open at that time?
4. What’s your working style? Do you like it when the professor is very involved, or very hands-off?
5. What’s the communication style of the professor? Are they a quick emailer, or do they prefer that you see them in person?
6. Are there regular lab meetings? How might those be learning experiences for you? Some labs ask their undergraduates to regularly present papers to the rest of the lab. 
7. How large is the lab? i.e. How many people are there? 

I hope this post makes the process of getting involved in a research lab here on campus seem a little less intimidating. Best of luck, and don’t forget to come by the Career Exploration Center with any further questions! 

Other Resources to Consult

The College of Human Ecology Undergraduate Research page