alexandrabilder

When I got my first meeting with a PI, I was mostly thinking about how I could convince her to take me. I had very little research experience, so I was incredibly grateful that someone was even willing to talk with me. I remember taking the Zoom meeting from my dorm room with my computer awkwardly propped up on a stack of books on my bedside table, feeling very nervous and trying to make a good impression. Meeting with her quickly eased a lot of that anxiety. She was enthusiastic about her...

One common piece of advice for students looking for research is: find a PI whose research interests you. That sounds fine until you are early in your science courses and almost everything sounds interesting because you do not know enough yet to know what you like. How are you supposed to decide whether you are interested in a lab studying a signaling pathway you have never heard of? And how are you supposed to write an email explaining your interest when you barely understand the abstract?...

When I first started looking for a research role, I did not have much research experience. I had done one internship where I spent most of the summer de-stapling and digitizing files. I had 0 publications and 0 technical skills. But I had a genuine interest in research, an Excel spreadsheet, and a willingness to put some effort into finding the right opportunity. I eventually found my first role through cold outreach and a wonderful mentor and research team. Looking back, the process taught...