How to Find a Faculty Mentor

Step One — Define Your Interests

You will have the very best research internship experience if you first carefully define your goals.

Which areas of life science are you most interested in? Which topics were really interesting in your classes? What kinds of experiments and data analysis did you like in the laboratories?

What type of research experience might you most enjoy? Are you most interested in basic, theoretical or applied research? Are you more interested in indoor laboratory work, fieldwork, or a combination of the two?

Do you have a specific project in mind (e.g., AIDS research) or do you want to acquire a set of skills (e.g., molecular genetics techniques) that can be transferred to other subdisciplines in the future?

You should be really excited about working on a research project. Don't do it just to build your resume or earn academic credit. If you don't have a genuine interest in the research internship experience look for something else to do that is more meaningful for you.

Do you have any prior research experience? If not, consider volunteering to work for a semester so you can get a feel for how a research program operates. Start working during your freshman or sophomore year as preparation for a research internship later on.

Step Two — Identify Potential Mentors

Ask your faculty advisor for the names of MU faculty members who are doing research in your area of interest. Ask other science majors about the research projects they work on and their mentors. Ask your class instructors for suggestions and recommendations.

All MU science departments have graduate brochures, annual reports and web sites that list faculty research interests.

Check the research interests of potential faculty mentors page on this site.

Use all these resources to compile a list of three to six faculty members whose research interests match yours.

Step Three — Talk with Potential Mentors

Make an appointment. Let the faculty members know that you are interested in their research and would like to find out more about their work and the possibility of working in their research group. Be sure that they all understand that you are going to talk with several mentors so that you can find the best fit with your interests and abilities.

Be sure and do your homework. Read all you can about each faculty member and their research program, including their research summary and related research articles. Try to understand the basic principles of their research and the types of research techniques they use before you meet with them.

Be sure to come prepared. When you arrive for your appointment, bring a copy of your transcript or a list of completed science courses and a resume. Explain why you are interested in a research experience and in their particular research program. Provide the name of a faculty member or advisor who has agreed to be a reference. Describe what you want to get out of your experience and your long-term educational and career goals. Give the faculty member an idea of the amount of time you are able to commit to your research experience, both in hours/week and the total number of semesters.

Ask questions. Faculty members are impressed with students who do their homework and ask good questions. This is your opportunity, make the most of it. “If I work in your research program, will I have a project of my own? Who will train me (the faculty member, a graduate student, or other more experienced undergraduates?) What are your expectations of undergraduate research assistants? Will I be able to attend research group meetings and journal clubs? What kinds of projects have other undergraduates worked on and have they presented their research or been authors on publications? What are some of your former undergraduate research interns doing now?”

Potential faculty mentors are impressed by students that:

• ask good questions
• have a clear idea of what they want to get out of their research experience
• have a clear idea or a limited set of options about what they want to do after graduation
• take their school work seriously
• have an interest in the faculty mentor's area of research and some knowledge of that area
• talk with a potential faculty mentor well before the internship deadline
• have a good attitude and are positive, confident, motivated, enthusiastic and responsible

Once you have decided, let everyone know. The mentors you talk to will let you know whether they have space in their research program when you meet with them. If a faculty member says there isn't room available at the moment, ask for names of other faculty to talk with and follow up on these leads. If you talk with more than one potential mentor, be sure that they all understand that you will not have made a decision when you leave. Once you have made your decision, be sure that everyone you talked to knows what that decision is.

Step Four — When You Begin Your Internship

Meet with your faculty mentor and agree on your schedule. Introduce yourself to everyone else in the research group and find out what their responsibilities are.

Take care of the “mechanics” early. Make sure that your mentor has your phone number and that you have the phone numbers of your mentor and all the people in your research group. Do you need to attend any special training sessions? Are there special policies about eating/drinking in the laboratory and using the phone or the laboratory computers?

Learn all you can about what others in the research group are doing and make sure you get a feel for the “Big Picture”. Ask questions. Attend research group meetings.

Go the “extra mile”. Offer to help other students with their projects when there is a break in yours. Pitch in with routine tasks that need to be done. If you are a good citizen, you’ll find people willing to help you. Accept opportunities to socialize with members of the research group. The more you put into your experience, the more you will get out of it.

Don't forget to have fun!