Getting a Research Position as a Science Student

Coming into the Biomedical Sciences program as a transfer student, I knew I wanted to get involved in research. I didn’t know where to go or how to get started, but that was one of my goals. Two years later, I have secured a research position, and I couldn’t be happier. Since I have some experience with getting my foot in the door, I thought I could give you some tips on how to find an opportunity. 

First, you need to figure out what interests you the most. For example, I love psychology, which is why I wanted to conduct research in that field. Once you have a broad topic in mind, it’s time to narrow it down to something more specific. In psychology, I like learning about psychological disorders and cultural differences. This helped me realize I wanted to be involved in labs that explore these kinds of topics. Once you have this down, you can move on to the next step.

This step is very important as your resumé or curriculum vitae (CV) outlines what makes you such a great candidate. I know what you may be thinking, “how do I get experience in research if I don’t have the experience?”. I want you to know that I’ve thought this exact thought a billion times. The trick is to use your skills to your advantage. This comes into play later on when writing a cover letter or in an interview. They know that you are a student, so I’d say not to worry too much about this. I highly recommend having someone look over your resumé/CV, and the university’s Career & Co-op Centre is available to help you with things like this. 

One more thing is to have an updated copy of your unofficial transcript handy because you will need to attach it to pretty much every email. Just because they want to see your transcript, doesn’t mean all they’re looking at are your grades. It helps to outline your program and the courses that you’ve taken which may be relevant to the research. Both these aspects help create a first impression, so make it count!

The best place to start is by talking to your professors. They are in contact with so many different students every day and you want to stand out. What helped me a lot is by attending office hours. If they don’t have office hours then feel free to send an email to schedule a chat; I’m sure they’d be more than happy to discuss their work with you and help in any way they can. You should also check out some labs that your university has to see if any of their research catches your eye. 

Now, I learned this a bit late, but I’ll let you in on a little secret. You do NOT just have to look for opportunities at your own university; you’re free to explore wherever you want. Just keep in mind that if the lab isn’t operating remotely then you will likely have to go in-person, so distance should be a factor to consider. To apply outside of your school, you can send emails to labs, professors and researchers directly. I recommend creating a spreadsheet of all the places you want to contact so you can stay organized.

Here is what most of your hard work goes into. This process requires a good amount of time dedicated to curating well-written letters. I highly suggest being honest with your goals and what you expect out of this research opportunity because at the end of the day, you want them to know the real you. The good thing about writing these letters is that you’ll have a similar structure to follow for each of them, making them easier to write. The same concept applies to emails. With this in mind, it doesn’t seem as intimidating as it is such a repetitive process.

Lastly, interviews! After all that hard work you put in, you get an email back requesting an interview, now what? Well, here comes the preparation part. First, I like to get a good understanding of the lab itself and some recent research papers they’ve published. Then based on that, I create a list of questions  to ask them about these topics. Once I feel comfortable with the material, I ask a friend to role play an interview scenario where they act as the interviewer and ask me questions. This helps me to prepare answers and figure out what I need to improve on. Then during the interview I just go for it and give it my all.

I really hope this gives you an idea of what looking for a research position looks like. It is not an easy process, but it is rewarding. You build so many connections along the way, and learn more about your interests. I wish you all the best on your research journey! 

“See” you soon!

- Nishka