RESEARCH AT USC
Find ways to get involved with research at USC!
TIPS AND TRICKS
Tips to finding research positions at USC
Think
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Think about why you want to do research in the first place. What interests you about it? Are you willing to spend the time outside of class to commit to working in a lab? Truly understand why you want to be involved in research! Let your passion and desire for research be your true motivation!
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Think about what kind of research you want to be involved in. What specific field of biomedical engineering (medical devices, imaging, informatics, cellular/tissue engineering, etc.) interests you? You don’t have to know you like it for sure, but you should find one or two subfields within BME that pique your interest.
Contact
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First, think about your network. Talk to your professors, TAs, or other students who may have connections to the lab you are interested in. They may be able to connect you to the professor.
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If networking doesn’t work, don’t be afraid to email professors! If they don’t respond to your emails for a few days, don’t be afraid to follow up with them!
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In your email, use the body of your email as a letter of introduction: state your name, major, interest in their project, contact information, and request to meet with the faculty member or someone they designate to learn more about their research.
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Attach your up-to-date resume to the email, highlighting any skills or projects you may have completed in the past. If you don’t have a resume yet, check out this resource provided by Viterbi, which outlines all the sections of a resume and what to include in each of them.
Prepare
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If a professor agrees to meet with you for an interview, be prepared and do your research on them! Have a basic understanding of their research, prepare some questions, and read a journal or article they’ve published. You want to be interested in the faculty member’s work and get along with their team of people.
