How to Get Research Experience as an Undergraduate (Psychology, Neuroscience, STEM)

Need undergraduate research experience? This is a step-by-step guide to joining a lab, for students interested in pursuing careers in (or near) science. Especially for students who plan to apply for graduate school.
Support the channel: / ihmcurious
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:27 1. How to Find a Lab
1:40 2. Who to Contact
3:07 3. What to Say
4:07 Email Tips
4:53 Interview
5:07 How to Get the Most out of Your Lab Experience
5:53 Run Your Own Study
7:36 Presenting Research at a Conference
8:28 Applying for Grad School
9:22 Summary
(Note: Clinical and Medical programs may also require internships, and professors may be less likely to be involved in research. Consult your professors and other KZbin people for advice on clinical psych grad programs and med school.)
Elliott was a research assistant in three labs studying psychology and neuroscience at Northern Illinois University. He has hired and supervised dozens of research assistants at UC Santa Barbara, where he got his PhD in Psychological and Brain Sciences.

[@notdeku9197]

will you make a video on applying to PhDs?

[@ihmcurious]

Probably not in the near future, but happy to answer questions if I see them. In general, it's very similar to the process described in this video. Figure out whose research you like and reach out to them as early as you can, so you can figure out what they're looking for and when they're taking new students. Best to have strong letters of rec from one or more labs where you've done a lot. That's way more important than perfect grades. And start the application process early, especially the essays! Almost everyone wishes they got on top of their essay sooner. With good lab experience, you'll have a lot more to say in your personal statement and/or research statement.

[@margarita2147]

thank you! its great, i started thinking about working as a research assistant and didnt know HOW to take first step, now i am less afraid and i will start acting

[@alexlandry9317]

I can honestly say that my experience working with Elliott as an RA was the best decision I ever made in my professional academic career. Thanks so much for all the guidance and support, man!

[@dawsonhicks436]

Thank you for making this video! In the fall semester, I am hoping to work as an RA in one of the research labs at my university. This was a lot of help

[@ihmcurious]

Good luck!

[@Venomxdrool]

This was all incredible advice. Wow. Thanks so much!

[@fog3911]

Great video. Very concise and to the point. Really appreciate this

[@amiram1256]

This is the most helpful video, thank u so much for your

[@JoniniTheChickenNugget]

Please don't stop making videos! This was very helpful :)

[@TheBillNye]

Your channel is going to blow up. The videos are really well made

[@pattyihm8099]

Great information! Exquisite delivery! Thank you for putting this out there. I wonder how many times a rat would scratch itself.

[@zeni99]

This was helpful…thanks!

[@jas2800]

This was so helpful man. I go to a large university and research is impossible to get around here 😭

[@sonnyn.7967]

This video may no joke change my life

[@anthonymedina9710]

“Some guy tried to sell me pills outside my hotel in San Francisco” 🤣

[@eli19961996]

Hey man, I really enjoy your way of presenting things. I have some weird questions and it may be that I'm unable to express myself properly. I'm a medical student with a keen interest in neuroscience and I'm almost at the end of my studies. I really want to get into research, but I'm a little worried I might get "under the wheels" as it very often happens with young researchers getting into the field (here in Germany you only get funding if you're a known name and professors and teamleaders often claim work they haven't done). I'm not lazy I'd say, but I get beaten down by personal failure a little to easily and especially in a field like this self-directed work (and keeping course) is probably essential. Right now I've hit a personal snag in addition to all of this. What is your advice for keeping up motivation, getting enough reading done and keeping up concentration when focusing on your stuff? I feel I let outer circumstances get me down at times and I'm not able to shut it out while focusing on my work. I know part of this seems like a normal problem, but the joy I feel about going into research recently fades away quickly as soon as I'm getting worried about future opportunities and the prospect of sinking into an environment of paperwork and favouritism.

[@eli19961996]

How much "Sit down and just do it" was it for you?

[@ihmcurious]

Sorry for the long delay! It's hard to give a good reply without asking a few follow-up questions, so feel free to email me at [e-mail]. For now, I'll just say that sit-down-and-just-do-it is a useful tool, but it isn't always the right tool. Whether you want to go into research or anything else science-related, look for a mentor who does things that you'd like to learn, and take every bit of help they're willing to give. That's the most efficient way to learn career-relevant skills, and if they have a hands-on style that can provide really useful structure. Often what looks like laziness is just aimlessness due to lack of momentum, which can come from a lack of actionable next steps that you trust will take you in the right direction. People who have succeeded at things you're aiming for, whether you can interact with them in a professional/advisor capacity or a personal/friend capacity, can help you find those steps and gain that momentum. Good luck, feel free to reach out!

[@starcatria1188]

I'm a cs undergrad doing core cs but my interests lie in combining my skills with brain neurons and neuroscience in general. I haven't studied bio since 10th grade so do I still stand a chance to become a RA ?

[@rebecaanastacia3020]

I think you should offer your knowledges and skills in computation, code, etc. Search the labs in the unis websites and you will see how much of them use computation. There are areas of computational neuroscience, for example. I think you know that. Prepare an email with a intention letter with your skills.

[@ericksouza8991]

Im "working" as a researcher at my university, sadly there's nothing really big happening on the lab. Im now trying to find a lab that I could work remotely to improve my academic career.

[@ihmcurious]

Remote lab work probably won't be easy to find. Depending on what you mean, it might not be a problem that nothing "really big" is happening. I recommend talking to the lab director and other lab personnel, letting them know your goals and what skills you'd like to learn (if you know them), and seeing if they can give you something more to do, or point you to another lab. I did a lot of data entry, searching the literature, and coding old rodent videos before I was able to run experiments, slice vole brains, contribute to papers, analyze data etc.

[@timiombe]

Thanks for this. I'm interested in applying for grad school when I graduate in a year's time. I'm a foreign student and my school (and surrounding schools) don't have labs for the type of research I'm interested in working in (Computer Science). Most interesting labs I find are usually in the US. Is it possible to become an RA for Comp Science labs in the US while I study in my home country?

[@ihmcurious]

That's outside my area of expertise, since CS experience generally looks a lot different than doing scientific research in a lab. I recommend that you search for info about getting CS experience, especially from anyone who does a job that you'd like to get. Email a few people in the labs you're interested in, and see what they recommend! That being said, a lot of science labs use software that you might want to learn, IF you want to learn research skills, like data analysis, stimulus presentation, even machine learning, depending on the lab. Otherwise, a CS job/internship, or building a portfolio of projects, might be more useful for you - check with CS people. As far as getting experience remotely, it's possible that a lab might be able to set that up, but it's not a common arrangement. I can't speak to CS experience in particular.

[@timiombe]

@@ihmcurious Thank you so much for replying. I'll do as you suggested and try to reach out to the labs I'm interested in and see what they recommend and if they have openings for RA. I'm also working on some projects that hopefully will help showcase my skills. Thank you!

[@jas2800]

What happens if I send multiple emails to researchers in a single lab and more than one replies back asking for CV or interview. Should I reply to both, or let them know I'm already in contact with another member, or just flat out ignore all of them besides one?

[@ihmcurious]

I'd probably respond to both with everything they're asking for. If one of them has research interests closer to yours, you might focus on following up with them. But you never know who's gonna flake on you in the early stages, so best to keep all options open.

[@DanielvanStadenSTEM]

Is it possible to get into a lab as a high school student, or do you need to be an undergraduate at the university or college that the people working at the lab teach at?

[@ihmcurious]

It's possible as a high school student! Reach out to the lab directors and feel it out. Some may be enthusiastic, others may not be interested. But if you get started early with a good mentor, you'll be way ahead of the game.

[@aichatouprosper4948]

What if you already graduated? I graduated with a biomedical science major but now I’m trying to get experience however I don’t know who to reach out to

[@ihmcurious]

Same advice - check out any local universities, or even research facilities or clinics if they're near you, and you can follow the same steps for getting in touch with them. Some places have specific postbaccalaureate (post-bac) job openings for people who've graduated already.

[@chugbunga1665]

what field can i get into without college if any? philology?

[@ihmcurious]

Anything's possible, but it's probably a lot harder. You can learn technical skills on your own if you're really self-motivated, or start with an internship at a clinic or something. But if you don't see a path for yourself already, I'd recommend starting with college.

[@honkhonk8009]

I only follow ur stuff cus I thought the neuroscience stuff is cool even tho i have zero idea whats happening half the time lol

[@lehgeek]

Honestly feel like the researchs I did so far in undergrad is a waste. 3 years at the same lab, basically all I learned was genotyping and lab management. The last 6 months I was hired as an official lab assistant. Didn't log an of the volunteer hours I did before that. My name isn't on any paper, I never went to any conferences, and I have the most basic understanding of our topic.

[@ihmcurious]

Sorry to hear! That's why it's so important to find a supportive mentor (or a few) as early as you can, so you can get clear on your goals and how to best prepare for them. Career development for undergrads isn't always the top priority for every lab, and in those cases it's extra important to be proactive if you want to squeeze all the juice out of the experience.

[@ihmcurious]

But if you're still in the lab, you may still have time to talk to your advisor about that. "In light of my long-term contributions to the lab, is it possible for me to contribute to a conference presentation?" Depending on your goals, "Are there any skills that would look good on my resume (data analysis, lab techniques, etc) that you could help me learn before I graduate?" And if you think more experience would be valuable but you're graduating too soon, it's perfectly fine to take a year just gaining more lab experience.

[@Bangbang-ei5kd]

What is a underergraduate?

[@ihmcurious]

College student

[@zahar1875]

8:04 Was the guy successful? ;)

[@ihmcurious]

Not particularly