How to Choose a Research Lab

A How-To Guide with Advice from Upperclassmen in Research

Morgan Lindstead | February 15th, 2024

Many STEM-oriented students at Vanderbilt will seek to join a research lab at some point in their academic career; however, with so many options on campus with varying focuses, it can be difficult to decide where to go. Ultimately, a student may not get accepted into their top choices for a lab, but this article will help provide some insight on deciding what to prioritize when choosing research labs to apply to as well as pass along some advice from upperclassmen in different types of labs.

Why do research?

Many STEM majors at Vanderbilt require that a student completes at least one or two semesters of research. Additionally, many graduate schools like to see students participate in some form of research as an undergraduate. This is because being a part of a research lab affords students many valuable skills, such as time management, leadership, mentorship, and teamwork. Participating in research offers students the chance to connect with graduate students, PhD candidates, post-docs, and their primary investigator (PI). This networking can lead to valuable connections for post-graduation life. Additionally, it fosters mentor-mentee relationships, assisting students in planning their future and understanding the necessary steps to achieve their goals. 

Deciding on a Department

The first decision a student needs to make is what department they want to do research for. In most cases, this will be dependent on the student’s major and their plan for what they will do after graduation. However, just because a student has an idea about what department they want to work with, there is still an incredible variety of what kinds of research they can do within these departments. For example, a student seeking to do research to satisfy their major requirement for Biology or Neuroscience may make a decision between doing research at an on-campus lab or one overseen by Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) or the Veterans Association (VA).

Deciding on a Type of Research – Clinical, Behavioral, in vivo, in vitro, etc. 

In the realm of research, several distinct methodologies exist. Clinical research, for instance, involves studies with human participants, focusing on understanding and improving human health. Behavioral psychology research, which can be conducted with children or adults, aims to understand and analyze human behavior in various contexts. Similarly, there is behavioral research with animals, which examines the actions and reactions of animals in different settings. In vitro studies are conducted in controlled environments like test tubes or petri dishes, typically using cells and cell models to understand cellular behaviors and interactions. Lastly, in vivo studies, distinct from in vitro, involve experiments on living organisms, to study biological processes in action. Each of these methods offers unique insights, differing primarily in their subjects and settings. Not all of these forms of research are present in different fields, but some key questions to ask when considering a research lab are: am I willing to work in a lab that tests on animals? Would I rather do computational research such as on a computer and inputting data or actually interact with participants and patients? Do I want to work in a micro-scale lab, such as a wet lab with chemicals and micropipetting, or a lab that focuses on bigger picture ideas, such as a clinical or behavioral lab?

Researching Labs

You can find different labs by searching VUMC’s research database here or going to your specific Major websites and seeing if they have a list of labs they typically associate with or PIs looking for undergraduates. Once you declare your major, keep an eye out for emails from your department–occasionally, you will receive emails about PIs looking for more undergraduates to join their lab. 

Other Values

Another thing you might want to consider when joining a lab is the kind of relationships you want to have with your team members. For example, when I searched for labs, one thing that I wanted was a team that valued communication. I had heard the stories about people who would email their PIs and not hear back for 2-3 weeks, if at all, and I knew that this was something I wanted to avoid. Granted, when you are researching labs, this is not something that is usually written on the lab’s website, but if this is something important to you, then it is a good thing to scope out during an interview or in your initial email to the lab. 

Additionally, labs are a huge time commitment, so depending on your class load, you may wish to seek out a lab that has flexible hours and a lower time commitment. 

Crafting a List and Cold Emailing

Now that you hopefully have a better idea of what kinds of labs you are interested in joining, I suggest you make a list of 20 labs you have even the faintest interest in. Put the list in a rough order and start cold emailing three labs every three days starting from your top three (the 3-3-3 method as I call it). When emailing, you will want to keep it short, maybe attach a resumé if you have one. Introduce yourself, talk about why you are interested in the lab, and specify what, if any, previous experience you have with relevant software, interacting in a clinical setting, running statistical tests, working on a team, etc. Additionally, you will want to read at least a few of the PI’s previously published works and talk about what you liked about them and maybe attach a question or two to demonstrate your interest.

It is very likely that you will not receive answers to most of the emails you send out. Many PIs are busy or won’t respond to emails if they are not actively looking to take on any more undergraduates. 

Advice and Input from Individuals in Research

“I looked through a list of labs looking for RAs and either filled out some forms or just cold emailed them with my resume attached explaining my interest in joining their lab, why, and what skills I could bring to the table. While I have yet to be formally invited to join a lab, I’ve recently had two interviews with the same lab, and the biggest tip I can give is to just be yourself and be genuine with why you want to be in the lab. Also, be ready for a long-term commitment because most labs will want you there for at least two semesters if not longer.”

– McKenzie King ‘25 – Psychology

“I joined my lab because I really liked the idea of working with kids and I wanted to research how they were thinking, especially about abstract concepts. I became even more interested in my lab once I was able to link my Immersion Vanderbilt project with the lab. Our PI started a study last semester and I got to work on the literature review for that, some of the pre-testing with adults, and I got to really see how building a study really functions which I found really interesting because it affords me a new perspective now when learning about studies in my psychology classes. I definitely think this lab has set me up well for what I want to do post-graduation and I have actually even changed my initial career plan as a result of joining this lab. Initially, I was planning on doing a PSY-D, but since getting involved in research, I’ve unlocked a little more love for research, so much so that I now want to get my PhD in Psychology”

– Isabella Lough ‘25 – Psychology

“I applied to my lab because I wanted research experience to complete my major and for med school applications. I’d say that the best thing about my lab is my PI. She’s a lovely woman to talk to and clearly passionate about what she does. We’ve talked a lot about being a woman in research, thinking of research ideas to explore, and defining a career path. I also talked with one of the grad students about how she decided on her field. The lab involves A LOT of computer work, so learning to do all that was a struggle at first. The lab environment is also very chill, since it’s a smaller lab. The best learning experience I’ve had has been discussing research proposals for my major. I’ve been able to learn about the projects we were working on, and future applications of what we learn through the results. I believe that it is important to find a lab whose research you’re actually interested in, but also a lab whose members you vibe with. Lab won’t be an enjoyable, productive experience if you don’t enjoy the people you’re working with”

– Sarah Barnes ‘25 – Biology

“My research group seeks to explore rare genetic variants that lead to rare diseases. Our main focus at the moment is a potassium channel gene important in repolarization events in the heart. Most of the projects in my lab work in unison using in vitro methods of stem cell growth and cardiac induction of said cells, transfection of mutant DNA into a type of cell line induced from kidneys, PCR reactions, gel digestions/ligations, and many other wet-lab and cell techniques. The process is long and laborious, but seeing the final result of weeks of preparation is amazing. I get to see the cells I took care of beating across the plate, just like the tissue of a heart would.”

– Matthew Ku ‘25 – Neuroscience