What does working in an institutional lab setting look like?
Most institutional labs are located in either universities or large industry facilities. Researchers who work here are more often than not participating in wet bench research and interacting with hazardous chemicals/equipment on a day-to-day basis. As such, training and safety program are put in place for new trainees.
Interested in lab work?
If working in an institutional lab setting is something that interest you, you’ll need to know a few key things.
There are two main options to working in an institutional research lab as a student: you can either apply to a program and be accepted to a lab/specific research project OR you can cold email professors and independently solicit a research opportunity.
Either option will require a serious time commitment on behalf of the student researcher. Most research programs have schedules with which admitted student researchers must follow. Independently negotiated research opportunities with PI’s (principal investigator) also require a large time commitment but are more flexible.
Joining a research program that you have to apply to means that if admitted, you will most likely be assigned to, or guided through a pre-designed research project. Working with a PI to arrange an independent research internship means that there is a possibility for more project flexibility or working on something of your own ideas mixed with the lab’s focuses.
Independently Contacting PI’s
If you think that independently contacting a PI and negotiating a research opportunity is the route that you want to pursue, just know that the likelihood that the first professor you reach out to will accept you is extremely low. Often times, it will take dozens of emails (although this can vary on a case-by-case basis) before you find a PI willing to take you into his or her lab. We encourage you not to be discouraged by negative responses as this is completely normal and is expected for a number of reasons. However, there are things you can do to optimize your chances of success, namely, drafting a strong, convincing email, and curating an impressive resume/CV. For more information on the former and latter, visit our classroom page to see some successful examples as well as what to include and not include.
Applying for research programs
If you think that conducting research through an application-based program is for you, make sure to look at our database of opportunities found in our classroom page. Based on a variety of factors such as socioeconomic status, race, particular field interests, or geographic residence, you might be eligible for certain programs which we have already pre-screened for you. While these programs are relatively short term (2 months max), often times they are at least partially covered financially and can allow you to build skills that support longer term research internships.