Faculty Mentors

You can search for opportunities to do research with faculty members under Explore Research Opportunities. Attending office hours and taking a faculty to lunch (sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships) are other ways to begin informal conversations with professors that could lead to discussions about research projects.

Before approaching a potential faculty mentor, it is important to:

• Familiarize yourself with their work. Visit their website and consult any literature about them.
• Have a clear idea of the topic or research question that you would like to discuss. Consult relevant background literature and consider how you can make a novel contribution.

Initial contact with a potential mentor can be made through office hours, taking a professor to lunch, or sending an email.  In an email, you should:

• Use their professional title
  • Start your email with “Dear Dr. X” or Dear Professor X.”
  • Never use “Miss” or “Mr.” or “Mrs.” or “Mx.” unless it is specifically requested in a syllabus.
• Use your official college email account
  • Ensure your email arrives in an inbox and not the trash. Plus, professors might be required to do all official communication with you through their institution’s email server.
• Write a short, specific subject line
  • Short is especially helpful if the professor reads email on their phone.
  • Specific is always preferred. Let them know what you want before they open the email
• Avoid flowery language
  • It distracts from the message you want to send – which is that you want to learn what the PI has to teach and are ready to work hard and contribute to their research program
• Proof-read and polish
  • Spell check. Avoid asking for a “Reserach Opportnity”
  • Use two, not 2, I not i, be not b, and skip the emojis.
• Don’t forget attachments
  • Attach .PDFs of the following:
    • CV
    • Unofficial transcript
    • Short statement of your previous experience (if applicable)
  • Don’t hesitate if your GPA isn’t as high as a classmate’s. For many mentors, GPA is irrelevant. They care more about genuine enthusiasm!
• Include an email signature
  • Signatures aren’t just for professors! Create a signature with the essentials so you won’t have to rewrite it for every email. Include:
    • Full name
    • Major/Minor
    • Academic year/Expected graduation date
    • College email address

Before choosing a possible recommender carefully consider which faculty know you the best in a relevant capacity. For example, if you are applying for a research position, it is best to ask a faculty mentor who has worked with you closely on research and can write about your strengths as a researcher. Be sure to ask your potential writer well in advance of the deadline so that he or she has adequate time to prepare and write your letter. You should ask your potential writer in person and provide them with materials to understand the position or opportunity that you are seeking. Remember to send a thank you note to your recommender.

Our experience has been that faculty are happy to support projects not as related to their own work. They key is communication with the individual faculty member, as it is often field-dependent.

It is recommended that you ask the faculty member directly – again, this is often field-dependent.

Developing a relationship with a faculty mentor takes time. PEAK awards are offered in cycles throughout the year. Request someone who can speak to your character and field, such as someone who taught you in a class or with whom you worked on a project. Some faculty feel comfortable serving as a mentor for a student they are not as familiar with, and some do not.

We would encourage you to apply for our Campfire Chat Award, which allows you to take professors to lunch. This can serve as an opportunity to get to know your Faculty Mentor better.

While both are equally important, a faculty mentor who has the capacity and eagerness to be prompt and speak on your behalf but doesn’t conduct research in your specific field is better than no recommender!

We’d encourage you to apply for our Campfire Chat Award, which allows you to take professors to lunch. One idea would be to take the two faculty mentors out to lunch with you to start discussing ways the three of you could collaborate.

It depends on your experience level with the research you are doing. If you are a beginner to research, it would be essential for you to be working for a faculty mentor that is doing research linked to your area of interest. If you are more of an independent researcher, as long as your faculty mentor is of a position to offer valuable input and guidance to your project, their research does not necessarily have to be directly related to your specific idea.

Reach out to faculty members with whom you have taken classes, conducted research, or are in the specific field of your research. You can search for opportunities to do research with faculty members under Explore Research Opportunities. Attending office hours and taking a faculty to lunch (sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships) are other ways to begin informal conversations with professors that could lead to discussions about research projects.