I hope you’ve been enjoying the summer so far. In two months you will all (if you aren’t already) be here in Irvine, starting your graduate careers! For those of you doing research, you will be picking a lab to work in. Although you might already have an idea of what you’re interested in, choosing a lab can be tricky because there are often many parameters to consider (funding, the PI, the project you’ll be working on, your lab mates, etc.). So here is a step-by-step guide to picking your future advisor. Good luck!
Step 1: Read Papers
Most of us have an idea of what field we would like to pursue. So I started there, reading recent papers that sounded interesting to me and making a list of professors whose work interested me. I looked at professors at UCI, but I also kept a list of professors at other universities that I wanted to meet and talk to in case I ever ran into them at a conference or even a seminar here at UCI.
When you’re reading papers, keep an eye on the number of papers coming out of the lab. If they haven’t had any papers in the last few years, that’s definitely a warning sign (at least in the sciences) because chances are, you won’t be the one student publishing frequently from that lab. Also, take a look at the authors on the paper. If a particular student comes up in multiple papers that you’re interested in, they might be someone that you want to reach out to. Make sure you read the recent papers that come out of the lab(s) that you’re interested in, as that will give you an indication of where the lab is directing itself. It’s especially important because many labs don’t always update the website, so the best way to get updated information is to look at recent papers!
Step 2: Talk to People
Yes, if you’re interested, definitely reach out to the PI and see if you can talk to them about what research is available. But don’t forget to reach out to the graduate students in the lab too. They’ve been working with the PI for at least a year or so and they will give you an idea about what it’s like to work with them. Remember, as interesting as a project may be, these are people you’ll be working with for the next two or more years, so finding a good fit is very important! (I’ll go more into this later.) Also, if you know anyone at the school, maybe even someone not in that lab (like your mentor!) ask them about the lab or about other labs that may be in a related field. Although the students in the lab will be the best people to talk to about lab environments, people in the department who will be able to give you general insights into what various labs focus in and how they operate. They may even be able to connect you with friends in the lab! (But always remember, take outside impressions with a grain of salt! Their opinions are based on their own personal experiences.)
Step 3: Do a Rotation in the Lab
I’m not sure if all programs have this, but if you have the option to rotate in a lab, do it! Also, if you have the option of rotating in multiple labs, don’t just rotate in the one lab that you want to get into, explore your options!
Rotations offer you two things: (1) you get an inside perspective on the lab. How do people work? How does your PI treat others in the lab? What are the PI’s expectations towards you? And (2) it gives your PI an idea of who you are. Emails are a great way to reach out to your PI, but talking face-to-face is the only way to get to know them and for them to get to know you.
If you really want to get into a particular lab, it’s tempting to try to convince the PI at your first rotation that you only want to rotate there because you’re convinced that this lab is the best for you! You may also feel like doing multiple rotations would waste your time when you know that a particular lab is for you. But, I was extremely happy (now, in retrospect) to have gotten the chance to do a second rotation. It gave me the chance to see how another lab was run, how graduate students in other labs did their work, and what was expected of them. Had I not had that second rotation, I think I would have always wondered what it would have been like if I had chosen a different lab. Also, when you do multiple rotations, you get to network with a whole new group of people that may even help you later on in your own research careers. So, take the chance to explore and keep an open mind! You never know where inspiration will strike!
Step 4: Choose your PI
By this point, you will already had some time to interact with the PI and the group. Now comes the hard part, choosing. As an international graduate student, you will have to consider many things.
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- Does the PI have funding to support you? – You want to have this conversation with them directly. There should be no surprises once you decide. Also, look into fellowships (here’s a slightly older article on the blog that you can look at https://sites.uci.edu/graduateinterconnect/2017/08/28/funding-for-international-students-written-by-yanqing-li/) as it adds to your resume and will give you the option of supporting yourself should funding become tight.
- Are you interested in the lab because of the project or the people? – Many graduate students think that the primary reason to join a lab is because of the project they would be working on. That’s a terrible idea. Chances are your project will morph into something different by the time you’re done with it. Chances are that your experiments won’t work out 100% every day and when it doesn’t work out, if the only thing that motivates you is the project, it’s going to be a bleak day. So think about the people you’re working with. Do you trust them? Will you be able to spend 8-10 hours with them every day for the next two or more years? If things don’t work out with your experiments, will your group support you? I was extremely lucky in that my group is a wonderful community of people who are all experts in various fields, and I know that they will have my back if I need them to. It was one of the big reasons that I chose the lab that I am in currently.
- Where is the PI in their own career trajectory? Do they have tenure? If not, they will be pushing to get papers out and get their lab on the map. Joining a lab at this stage will give you more insight on what it’s like to set up a lab as you simultaneously figure out how to run the experiments you need to perform as quickly as possible. An established lab will have a more streamlined process of getting you settled in lab and getting you trained on the basics. Your role in this type of lab will probably be more heavily project oriented. But there are definite exceptions to this rule, and they are usually because of difference in the PI’s style of management. So again, talk to the current graduate students, they will be able to give you the best insight!
At the end of the day, make sure that whatever lab you choose, it will provide a supportive environment for you and make you feel comfortable around the people that will be your community for the next few years. And don’t worry, if anything doesn’t work out, there are ALWAYS options to resolving any difficulties. I’m going to leave you with this comic as you all begin to think about your own research careers! (Also if you haven’t seen PhD Comics yet, go check it out!)
Atrouli ChatterjeeHome Country: India / JapanThe Henry Samueli School of Engineering
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