Here at Brown, you will come across a multitude of opportunities to conduct research, either on your own or with a faculty member. Think of this rough write-up as just a glimpse of where to look.
The explanations and sites linked here tend to be more Biomedical oriented, as these are the places I am most familiar with. However, research opportunities in say the humanities or CS are still very plentiful and not at all difficult to find. This page may be helpful for folks interested in biology.
Generally speaking, when requesting to research with faculty, expect to send a resume (CareerLAB has stellar guides and Peer Career Advisors can help revise it) and a letter explaining your skills and why you are interested in researching with this particular faculty member (more on that later).
Research Listings
Professors and faculty members looking for undergraduate researchers may post job listings (paid and unpaid) that you can apply to.
BioMed Undergraduate Research Opportunities (BURO)
- BioMed faculty post research opportunities here, and they can be “short-term, long-term, take place over summer or the academic year, those that are paid, voluntary, or take the form of a Biology independent study.”
- You can also find labs with continuous openings, as well as specifically look at projects within research areas that interest you.
- Workday is Brown’s internal listing of on-campus and remote jobs, and research opportunities (from a variety of departments) are also posted here. Applying via Workday is relatively straightforward. Make sure to include a resume and cover letter!
- Following the provided link, job listings can be found as follows:
- Login by clicking the big blue button labeled “Workday Access” and inputting your Brown credentials.
- Once in, navigate to the search bar, and search the phrase “Find Student Jobs.” One more click and you’ll arrive at the listings.
- You can search through the listings and filter them to your specifications. Make sure you don’t accidentally apply to old postings!
Freezing Cold Emails
Not all professors are available on Workday and/or BURO. Cold emailing a professor explaining your interest in their research might lead to some quite unique opportunities.
Researchers@Brown is a searchable database of almost all faculty associated with Brown University, including those who also primarily work at Brown’s graduate schools (ex. Warren Alpert Medical School). You can search for specific faculty that match your own research interests by filtering for their affiliation, research areas, and more.
When I began my search for research opportunities, I ended up cold emailing first. Here is the particular approach I used (a very rough outline; many examples are also available online with a quick search):
[Greeting] [Who am I? Year, Intended Concentration, Why am I interested in Research] [Request to join their lab]
[Explain WHY their lab; what about their research intrigues you]
[How can you contribute to their work (what skills do you have)? It is OK to say you have no prior experience; research is about learning]
[Closing]
This sort of structure can also work perfectly for a cover letter.