Research Involvement

Getting involved in research can be intimidating. Before looking for opportunities ask yourself the following questions:

• What type of research do I want to conduct?
  Most research falls between either computational work (doing simulations, creating programs for data analysis, working with AI and machine learning models, etc.) or experimental work (designing a new catalyst for carbon capture in lab, culturing cells, creating new polymers, etc.) or a combination of both!

• Do I want to work within the ChemE department?
  Some students perform research in other departments such as the biomedical engineering department!

• Will the research be for credit, or do you want to perform research for pay?
  Some concentrations require a semester of research for credit. Most students are able to work through pay by either applying for REUs or from funding through their research professor. ***THIS CAN HIGHLY DEPEND ON THE LAB YOU WORK IN***

• What experiences or skills do I want to gain?
  Research shouldn't just be to get a requirement out of the way. Figure out what you want to gain from your experience and come up with a one or two sentence goal.

After figuring out your goal, the next step is to pick professors you are interested in working with. For this, look through the areas of research within the department (such as listed here). 

From here, send out an email introducing yourself and be sure to include:

• Your current status (Freshman, Sophomore, etc. taking x class in my major)

• Currently/previous research experience (or none if you haven't yet)

• Your goal in research and why you are reaching out to the professor specifically 

• Make sure to include a resume or CV