HCCN’s Guide to Finding a Research
Finding a Reserach Position for ChemBEs
Edited version of JHU Career Center’s Getting Involved in Research (http://www.jhu.edu/careers/students/handouts/research.pdf)
Edited 6/3/2009
Just like finding an internship or a full-time job, finding a research position requires work on your part. Here are some of the resources that might help you find a research position.
General tips:
- Do your own research! Spend time browsing department and faculty websites for research topics that interest you. Try not to limit yourself too narrow though, as finding an research that perfectly fits your interest can be hard to come by. (especially if you don’t have much experience)
- Contacting professors directly is often the best strategy for finding a position, especially for a position within ChemBE Dept. Most faculty members are not actively searching for another research assistant, but they are usually open to the possibility.
- Talk to upper-classmen and graduate students (or even your peers) you know who are conducting research. They may be able to give you names of professors who use undergraduates in their lab.
- Prepare your resumes and expect an interview. Just as you would for your internship or a job position. It is also a good idea to have supporting documents like list of references and transcripts ready as well. If you need help with preparing for either, the Career Center has resources to help.
Useful links
- JHU ChemBE Departmental Website - Research overview page
- HCCN Blog** - http://the.jhu.edu/hccn/
- J-Connect: Unlike other databases, your JConnect account gives you access to research opportunities outside of the Hopkins
community, all over the United States and even in other countries - https://jhu-csm.symplicity.com/students/index.php - Whiting School of Engineering’s Research Opportunities page - http://engineering.jhu.edu/student-opportunities/
- JHU Applied Physics Laboratory Internship** - http://www.jhuapl.edu/employment/summer/summeremploy.asp
- JHU Department of Biology** - http://www.bio.jhu.edu/Undergrad/SummerOpportunities.html
**Research opportunities over summer only
Finding a research position - Checklist
Did I…
- Decide whether or not to conduct research?
- Talk to upperclassmen, graduate students, peers or professors to find out more about what conducting research entails?
- Review my schedule to make sure if I have enough time to fulfill my expected hours in a research lab along with my schoolwork and extracurricular activities?
- Decide whether I want to stay on-campus (Homewood), whether I want receive credit or pay for your work and find a place to live (if researching over summer)?
- Find any topics on in ChemBE Department that interests me? (Think back to classes you have taken that you found intriguing)
Searching for positions
- Use the search engines and databases listed above to get a sense of the kinds of positions that are available.
- Use the departmental websites to develop a general list of faculty whose researchprojects seem interesting and have potential.
- Before applying to any programs or contacting any professors, learn more about their projects by reading their research summaries and abstracts of their recent publications.
Applying for positions
- Prepare your resume and for an interview. Visit the Career Center or contact ChemBECareerNet (at) gmail.com if you need help