Finding Research Opportunities at Columbia

Thinking about getting into research at Columbia? You’re in the right place. As you read this guide, please keep in mind that this is just my perspective on research, which can help, but isn’t the whole picture. I would recommend also reaching out to upperclassmen who have lots of different research experiences and may offer different perspectives to better help you.

Also note, this guide leans towards biological wet lab research, which is just one type of all the research that happens at Columbia. Still, there is some broader advice (such as cold emailing) that can apply to any field.

A little bit about me:

I’m Jocelyn, a current sophomore at Columbia on the Pre-Med track studying Biomedical Engineering with minors in Psychology and Sustainable Development. I cold emailed labs in freshman fall, had interviews in late November/early December before winter break, and officially joined the Laboratory for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering in January of my freshman spring where I study the bone marrow and organ-on-a-chip systems. Because of COVID space restrictions this summer (2021), I will be joining another lab at the Columbia Center for Translational Immunology led by Dr. Megan Sykes where I am developing a protocol for T-cell counting.

Now, here are some general questions that you may be asking before starting your research search journey.

When do I need to get into research?

From what I’ve seen, it is common for people to get into research at Columbia the summer after their sophomore year or during their junior year. There is really no rush to join a lab as soon as you get on campus, especially if you are unsure about which area of research you would like to be in.

Some essential/helpful foundational courses are Intro to Biology (“Mowsh Bio”) and Organic Chemistry (“Orgo”). This is because Mowsh Bio allows you to decide which specific areas of biology you are interested in, and Orgo, in my opinion, is foundational to a lot of materials used in biology research. After taking both of these courses, I felt that reading papers in my area of research and understanding research talks by other scientists (more on this later) became a lot easier.

That being said, it is totally okay to get into research before you have taken those courses. The learning curve in the first few months after joining would just be steeper, but in any case, undergrad research is always a place of growth.

What exactly does research mean?

Research in a nutshell is being at the forefront of science and finding answers to previously unanswered questions. It is very, very different from STEM classes in that rather than learning about what is generally accepted as facts in the field, researchers are actively trying to build upon existing knowledge and testing them in different contexts to better understand how things work and develop novel ideas.

Another major difference is that what you end up researching will be a fraction of a fraction of a general intro course you may take as an undergraduate. For example, my research touches on induced pluripotent stem cells, the bone marrow, and hematopoiesis. In Mowsh Bio, Dr. Heicklen spent a total of four minutes going over these topics, yet outside of the class, scientists, including myself, have spent years studying hundreds of different aspects of just these topics. If you’re doing “research,” be ready to dive deep into a niche of a field. This is why it’s so important to choose a field you’re truly interested in—imagine spending hours reading 20-40 page papers on a topic that you simply do not like: ugh.

That being said, it’s possible and common to get into a lab, start doing the research, and realize that that field is just not for you. If that’s the case, know that you are not stuck in that area for the rest of your academic life. Use that realization as a learning experience, redefine what you’re interested in (and take a moment to consider whether research in general is even right for you), and restart the lab search process. Be open and honest with the people who guide you in your lab (graduate students, PIs, lab managers, undergrad peers, etc.); you never know what doors may open by just talking to people who most likely want what’s best for you and to see you grow.

Another thing I wish I knew before getting into research is how much determination it takes and how big of a time commitment it is. Typically undergraduate research takes up 10-15 hours of each week, excluding traveling to and from the lab. Also, just because you are “innovating at the forefront of science,” it doesn’t mean you are going to make exciting discoveries every day, week, month, or even year. Good research requires patience and resilience. You are going to encounter many failed experiments (which, according to the grad students in my lab, make up about 95% of the experiments they design), but learning how to face those failures and learn from them is essential. So, be ready to have lots of rainy days, with hopefully a rainbow at the end.

Okay okay, research sounds really exciting to me. How do I find a lab on campus?

Before you start looking the resources below, create a spreadsheet or document to keep track of the following:

1. Lab/Principal Investigator (PI)/Program Name

2. Research Topic

3. Lab Website

4. (If it’s a program) Application Deadline

Option 1: Columbia Research Programs:

One of the ways to join a lab is to apply to formal research opportunities and programs. Here is a short and incomplete list of a few popular programs on campus. The only downside is that most of them are only available during the summer, so if you are in the middle of fall semester and want to join research, don’t wait until the next summer. Instead, be more proactive and try the other options so you can hopefully start in the spring.

• Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

• SEAS Student Research Opportunities

• CC Laidlaw Undergraduate Research and Leadership Program

Option 2: Semi-formal Research Opportunities:

There are many academic clubs on campus that are major-specific and often host research networking events. I met my current research PhD mentor at a Biomedical Engineering Society (a club on campus) event specific for research. I got to meet several graduate students looking for undergraduate research assistants, talked to a few of them, and followed up with them via email afterwards through a process called “cold emailing”, which I’ll cover in a bit.

Another way is through work study jobs, if you’re eligible. Unlike most other research opportunities where undergrads work for free, work study jobs are, well, actual jobs where you get paid. Look for “research assistant” jobs, apply, get in, do your work, get to know the people in the lab, and see if you can become a formal research assistant.

Option 3: Columbia Research Initiatives:

Depending on your field of interest, Columbia may have a special research initiative/center dedicated to that area. Some of the ones I found while looking for a lab to join are listed below. You can definitely find more by googling “Columbia” + “your research field of interest” + “research”. You can also go to the departmental pages and make a list of professors/labs that you are interested in.

• Columbia Stem Cell Initiative

• Columbia Zuckerman Institute

• Columbia Nano Initiative

By the end of the lab search, a good number of labs/PIs is about 15-20. You can always add more as you do later searches, or start with a small number and apply to, say, five labs every other week.

Cold Emailing

Possibly the most common way to find research, cold emailing is looking for research by emailing professors and/or graduate students directly to see if they are open and willing to take in an undergraduate research assistant. With the list of labs that you have made from the previous section, you should email each lab’s principal investigator and/or graduate students individually to see if they are open to taking you on as an undergraduate researcher. I would recommend starting with your top five, follow up after one week if you haven’t heard back, and repeat the process once every two weeks for five new labs.

A cold email typically resembles a cover letter. I used the formatting guide from Columbia’s Center for Career Education (CCE) for this part, and it worked pretty well. Key components in the email should be:

• Introduction (name, school, year, intended/declared major(s) and minor(s)

• Any relevant coursework and research skills/experiences

• Why you are interested in the lab’s specific field of research

• Mention you would like to meet with the said person and talk more about their research

In addition, attach a copy of your resume which highlights your research and academic experiences. If this is your first time doing any kind of resume/cover letter stuff, I would recommend scheduling a counseling appointment with CCE and get some advice or revisions.

Next Steps in the “Application” Process

If your emails went through, you are likely to start getting responses with labs asking you to come in. This can either mean a formal interview or a more casual meet and greet. Either way, be prepared.

This is my process for preparing for these “interviews”:

The night before the interview, I combed through the lab’s website, got a sense of how big the lab is, who the people are, what are some of the publications they are highlighting, and where the lab is located. Columbia has three campuses (Morningside, Manhattanville, and CUMC). A lot of research occurs at all three campuses. It is essential that you plan your travel accordingly. Columbia has this free intercampus shuttle that is accessible with your Columbia ID, and is much nicer (and cheaper) than the subway.

The day of the interview, I often leave my dorm half an hour before my interview time, get to the lab early, explore the lab building a little bit, and observe the lab’s dynamic (do people talk and smile to each other? Is there food/coffee in the main office? Would I be happy spending 10-15 hours of my week in this space?). Bring a copy of your resume, prepare some questions, and most importantly, bring your undergrad curiosity and willingness to learn. Most labs don’t expect undergrads to have any technical background in research -- only a passion for science and an aptitude to learn through trial and error.

Make sure you remember the names of the people you met during your interview. After the interview, I like to follow up on the experience and write thank you emails. I take this opportunity to re-express my interest in the lab and that I look forward to hearing back. Then, I just wait :)

So, that’s the whole process! Hopefully this puts research into a more tangible context for you and helps you find an opportunity that you’re interested in.

Be an active science research community member

Lastly, there are more ways to be involved in the scientific research community on campus than just by being in a lab. There are many research talks and seminars open to the Columbia community, but you have to look for them to join. Here are some of the ones that I regularly attend:

• Tissue Talks (from my own lab!)

• BME Webinar Series

• Various CUMC Events

If you’re not in Biomedical Engineering, check out your own department’s events page! There’ll be more talks and opportunities of interest there.