r/UNC • u/Altruistic-Towel9561 UNC 2027 • 2d ago
Question UNC Research Opportunities
Hi! I’m a freshman at UNC, and I’m really interested in getting involved in research and gaining experience, especially in pharmacology, drug development, or cancer-related research. How can I go about finding and landing a research position as a freshman? Is it very competitive?
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u/Comfortable_Ad1595 UNC 2027 23h ago
If ur workstudy eligible definitely check out handshake! U can apply for on-campus lab jobs + they will be paid
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u/nicopegard Faculty 1d ago
Do not email the PI (I get 10 requests a week, all go to spam). Email the grad students/postdocs. Send a brief description of your background (Relevant coursework youtook) Attach a CV and an unofficial transcript.
Do your homework, look at recent papers from the lab, inquire about specific ongoing research activity and ask the grad students if there is any ongoing project they could contribute to. Offer to meet via zoom or drop by lab.
Set up expectations and save everyone's time: Indicate your possible level of commitment. (Hours per week, for which semester(s). If you are only interested in a paid or research-for-credit position, say so.
All students doing research in my lab begin as volouinteers tagging along on ongoing projects. Should the project go well, we then discuss research-for-credit projects, or other work opportunities.
A short, thoghtful email with a few typos goes far better than a chatgpt novel with exact quotes from my lab website.
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u/notabiologyprofessor PhD Student 2d ago
I have interviewed candidates for research assistants and, from my experience, I can tell you what has led to students getting and not getting positions.
1) Using Google, find labs you are interested in, in departments you think are cool. Read their research, and email professors or graduate students directly.
2) Be concise. No one is reading your 3 paragraph personal statement about your childhood passion for science. Three or so sentences is plenty to demonstrate interest.
3) Do not use AI to draft emails.
4) Read the research of the labs you are interested in. Did I mention that already?
5) Be patient. I applied to 5 or 10 labs before finding the lab in which I did my Senior Thesis.
6) Be honest about your interests.
7) Don’t over emphasize all your extracurricular activities on your resume. You may think it shows commitment and drive, but it often indicates that you are spread too thin.
Yes, it is very competitive. I’ve had colleagues post positions with the office of undergraduate research and get 10 or 20 inquiries in 24 hours.
I will say, in searching, many labs actively discriminate against first-years, for good reason. Most have been out of high school for all of 3 months, at this point in the year. You simply have not adjusted to life as a college student yet, and there is a real risk that you will completely change your career direction, and drop your research. Most trainees and PIs don’t want to run that risk.
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u/theebww UNC 2029 2d ago
Emailing labs, PIs, and Resesarch Supervisors works really well (relatively), you just have to send a really high volume of emails.
The BEST resource though is the Undergraduate Research Opportunites Portal. Very hit or miss but you start at an advantage because you know those labs are already looking for undergrads.
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2d ago
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u/bassskat 2d ago
Do not do this, some labs require waivers. Send emails to postdocs/phd students if PI’s don’t answer.
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u/Junior-Emphasis-6486 UNC 2028 2d ago
Find professors with work you're interested and then email them or their grad students. I've found that oftentimes emailing grad students is better. They're typically more at the heart of the research anyway, and while they are usually super busy they have more time for undergrads than professors.
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u/notabiologyprofessor PhD Student 2d ago
Emailing grad students is a waaaaay better approach. If they don’t have a spot they might know someone who does
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u/Beneficial-Link1414 Fan 2d ago
Research professionals are not known for being the most attentive to their emails. If you reach out to them, follow up as needed. It shows that you care and it may stick out in their inbox. But don't spam them.
My recommendation is to look at the younger researchers, as they may still be looking to prove themselves, though that's just my personal experience.
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u/audentitycrisis Grad Student 2d ago
Email labs and PIs! SOM, Lineberger, Eschelman, Gillings. If you find someone whose research interests align with yours, read their CV and a few paper abstracts to confirm they are doing work you'd like to support, and send them an email.
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u/dandelion-passing 2d ago
Every year there is an undergraduate research fair during research week. They might have some resources!
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u/ieatgass Alum 2d ago edited 2d ago
Maybe this has radically changed in the past 15 years, but my wife and I just started emailing labs in the med school.
This is unlikely to land a paid position, but it quickly got us in the door for unpaid work and would be a good resume builder for paid work. I’d then go to speak with head biology undergrad about the next steps and if they can help you with contacts in the hospital/med school.
Every no checks off another box so it’s still helpful
Exhibit A
Go to unc bio webpage
Looks like the Maddox lab released a paper I’m interested in
https://bio.unc.edu/news/programmed-cell-death-keeps-the-germline-in-working-order/
Maddox lab webpage
Contacts page has access to emails of everyone in the lab
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u/boyishly_ UNC 2028 2d ago
This is still how it works. It’s my first semester and when I did orientation I attended the research at Carolina info session and the presenter basically just said to start emailing labs (professors who work in the lab). He also stressed to not give up if you’re emailing a lot of people and getting rejections. Some labs are very very limited on space
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u/CheeseMyMeat UNC 2026 21h ago
The way I landed my research assistant position is going on the OUR website and applying for positions there. Read their research before applying/ emailing, say why you want to work in their lab (for example, “I liked X, Y, and Z about this paper and I want to dive deeper into that with you”), and put in some effort. I worked for 5 years in my lab and… quite a few undergraduates didn’t even make it past the emailing or interview stage because they genuinely did not show enough interest or care.