Frequently Asked Questions

This will vary based on the group and the type of research that they pursue.  However, you will likely be excited to know that many research groups frequently take students with no research experience!  Your best option is to identify groups who do research that you find interesting and then to contact the faculty leader of the group to discuss whether you would be a good fit at your current experience level.  You can see a list of faculty (and the experience/coursework requirements needed to join their labs) here.

The short answer: yes!

The longer answer: Each professor has control over how their research group operates (including how to admit students into their group, whether they will take first years, etc).  Since every lab does different research, there may be specific experiences or coursework that are needed before joining (which may make it more or less likely to be suitable for a first-year student).  To learn more about what expectations each individual lab has, you can go here.

Most undergraduate research in science is done in partnership with a faculty mentor.  Although there are exceptions, in most cases, students work on projects that relate to a faculty members' ongoing projects in their research groups.  

The first step in getting involved in research is to find a faculty mentor.  You will want someone who both does research you find interesting AND can provide you a training experience that matches your interests.  

To identify a faculty mentor, you can see a list of active research groups here, and you can see a list of faculty who currently possess open positions here. 

If you know the faculty member from a class or experience, it is good to ask them if they would be willing to meet one-on-one.  

If you do not know the faculty member, email is a good start!  

Either way, before you contact faculty, take the time to learn about their research and be able to articulate why you are interested in possibly joining their lab.  You are asking the faculty member to invest their time in meeting with you; you can do the same by reading up on their work before you reach out.  Ideally, keep your email short and to the point (it makes it easier to digest!), and request to meet with the faculty to learn more.

If you know you are interested in a lab, you should reach out now!  Every faculty member runs their lab differently (often with different deadlines for when they will take students), and so you give yourself the best chance possible by reaching out earlier rather than later.

Note that to do research for credit, you will want to discuss this with your faculty mentor before the term starts.  You can learn more about research for credit here

Note that for summer research applications, you will want to discuss with your faculty mentor well before the application deadline.

Every faculty member has the ability to choose lab members based on the needs of their research program.  Some faculty members do sometimes take students from outside of Keck.  The only way to find out is to ask!

Summer funding often comes from one of three sources.  

Keck Science department funds a large number of students (you can go here to learn about summer funding through Keck).  This is the most common mechanism for summer funding for students in Keck.

Some faculty have external funding from private or government sources which may be available to fund summer students.  To learn more, you can talk with individual faculty members.

Each of our host colleges has some additional funding available outside of Keck.  You can ask your DoS office about what funding is available for summer research support aside from Keck funding.