antibody89 Posted March 31, 2014 Posted March 31, 2014 Hi, I want to ask a professor if I can rotate in their lab but I'm not sure what I should say or include in the email. Any advice? Thanks!
fuzzylogician Posted March 31, 2014 Posted March 31, 2014 Having no experience doing such a thing at all, my instinct would be to ask in person, and only send an email to request a (brief) meeting. Maybe more experienced posters can have a more informed opinion, though.
zipykido Posted March 31, 2014 Posted March 31, 2014 Having no experience doing such a thing at all, my instinct would be to ask in person, and only send an email to request a (brief) meeting. Maybe more experienced posters can have a more informed opinion, though. Most professors will get a few emails every semester asking for rotation. It's pretty simple, introduce yourself, comment on their work, ask for permission to meet and discuss rotating in their lab. After the meeting then put in a formal request through your program and it should be all good. You generally want to meet with them first in person after the email to make sure they have money to take on additional students and to hear from them about the research going on in their lab.
antibody89 Posted March 31, 2014 Author Posted March 31, 2014 Most professors will get a few emails every semester asking for rotation. It's pretty simple, introduce yourself, comment on their work, ask for permission to meet and discuss rotating in their lab. After the meeting then put in a formal request through your program and it should be all good. You generally want to meet with them first in person after the email to make sure they have money to take on additional students and to hear from them about the research going on in their lab. I won't be able to meet with the prof in person because I am an incoming student and I need to have the summer rotation set up before I move there. Do you know what type of comment I should make about their lab? Is it enough to just say that my research interest is a good fit with their lab's research? Thanks!
zipykido Posted March 31, 2014 Posted March 31, 2014 I won't be able to meet with the prof in person because I am an incoming student and I need to have the summer rotation set up before I move there. Do you know what type of comment I should make about their lab? Is it enough to just say that my research interest is a good fit with their lab's research? Thanks! Look at recent publications/posters and mention maybe the overall topic that they do that you're interested in. Maybe include your CV/resume to show that you're a good fit. Treat it like a job interview, make yourself stand out in your email but don't stress out about it too much. I've only heard of PI's rejecting rotation requests because they're full or don't have the money to take on any more students, never on the basis of qualifications since everybody in the program should be qualified.
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