Part Three: Love Letters to Lab: The Letter of Interest

By Stephanie Wang
[Reposted from 12/03/2011]

From the Lab Love Guru:
The more enthusiastic you are about your research topic, the better experience you will have. 

I found a few professors whose research is interesting (see Part Two: The Lab Dating Scene): Now what?

First, it is important to verify that you do want to work in one of your found laboratories.  A good initial step to take is to visit the lab website and read up on everything posted there. Look for links to biographies of the principal investigators (PI) and tabs that direct you to their lab website. You should be able to find out about the techniques that the lab uses on a regular basis and get a better sense of the current focus of the lab.  Doing so will also be helpful when expressing your interest in the lab [see next step].

Another helpful way to see what questions the PI is currently investigating is to read one or two of his/her recently published papers. Some PI’s also place links to some of their papers on their websites. If not, the Scientista Foundation suggests doing a basic article search on Google Scholar. There are also useful databases that are field-specific: PubMed, created by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, is a great database and resource for biology-related articles. Type any PI’s name into the search engine, and links to abstracts and PDFs of all his/her papers will appear. Often, your campus will allow you to access these databases for free if you log in through your student portal.  For math, computer science, physics, and statistics papers, Cornell University provides a service called arXiv. 

Do you want to perform organic syntheses in a trial-and-error process to synthesize new molecules?  Are PCRs and Western Blotting techniques that you want to learn?  Or does computer modeling of the drug delivery process just sound like a chore?  If the labs you have chosen are still on your radar, read on. 

---

I could see myself working with so-and-so on _____!  How should I express my desire to do research under him/her?

The next step is to write a letter of interest to the PI of the lab.  One way to think about the letter of interest is to imagine it as being a love letter.  From beginning to end, the major goal of your letter is to express how you are genuinely interested in the PI’s area of research and/or what they trying to attain through this research.  You are “in love” with what they love!  Let’s start from the beginning.

Paragraph 1.      Introduction
Begin your letter with a simple “Dear Professor So-and-So,” and then introduce yourself. What year are you and what do you major in (or are planning to major in)?  Next, state why you are writing—what fuels your interest for this particular professor’s research?  Don’t be timid. It is much better if you lean towards being overly enthusiastic!

It is good to note here that writing lab-specific letters of interest makes a huge difference.  Although you may be contacting four or five labs, try to make each email personal—professors can tell when you are recycling a standard letter being sent out to a few of his/her colleagues (Especially if you forget to change the name of the professor within the body of the letter!)

Paragraph 2.      Body
The bulk of the letter should be devoted to three things: 1. a more detailed description of what you find particularly interesting about the lab’s research, drawing from your background reading, 2. what previous research experience you’ve had, if any; and 3. linking doing research to your own goals.

For the first component, this is a further incentive to read a few of your PI’s recently published papers.  By mentioning specific aspects of the laboratory’s research, you can show the PI that your interest in them is genuine and moreover, that you are proactive and independent—characteristics that are important for researchers.

Next, discussing previous experience with research can give the PI an idea of what sort of research question you can tackle and who he/she might pair you up with, should you continue on to do research with the lab.  Mention specific techniques as well as what sort of labs you have worked in.  However, know that previous experience is not necessary to do research in college!  Most faculty are more than willing to take on students with absolutely no research experience as long as they are motivated to learn. 

Lastly, say a little about what you want to gain from doing research during college as well as your future plans.  Are you planning to make this lab your thesis lab?  Or is this just a way for you to get your feet wet?  What are your career plans and how does research now fit in to them? 

Paragraph 3.      Closing
Before you end your letter, let the professor know about when you would like to start research as well as how much time you can devote during the academic year (and whether you are planning to devote any of your summers to doing research). 

A last important component to your email is an attached file: your resume.  The CV you submitted to colleges as a high school senior is not the one you want to attach, rather, you should format this resume such that it has a definite science orientation. A good example can be found here: http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic83478.files/annotated_resume.pdf.  Keep the resume to only a page, with high school non-science achievements limited to only two or three. 

You’re done! Send off your emails and wait for a response, giving the PI about a week.  

---

---

Part Four: The First (Lab) Meeting

Troubleshooting with regard to non-responsive PIs as well as what do after your PI replies in  
Read more >

Having a Successful Relationship with Research 3/4

---

Share

Comments?

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net