Cold emailing is one of the best ways to obtain your first research experience, but it can be intimidating to reach out a professor that you do not know. In this post, I will break down the components of an effective cold email and provide an example to help you get started!
To begin with, the email should be concise, formal and personalized to the professor you are contacting:
- Concise: Professors get a ton of emails every day, so their bandwidth for responding is limited, especially if they aren’t familiar with the student. Therefore, keeping your email as brief as possible is key to maintaining their attention.
- Formal: Make sure the email is worded in a formal, professional manner. This email will be their first impression of you!
- Personalized: It should be clear why you are interested in their lab specifically; professors are not likely to respond to an email that you could have sent to anyone.
In the cold email, you should:
- Introduce yourself (name, major, long-term goals)
- Describe your interest in their research (be specific!)
- I highly recommend reading at least 1 but no more than 2 of their recently published papers and then summarizing your main takeaways in 1-2 sentences in the email. Show them that you’ve done your *research*
- Ask about undergraduate research positions & ask if you could meet with them to discuss this (direct approach) OR ask to meet with them just to discuss their research (indirect approach)
- I usually opt for the direct approach, but students have been successful with both!
- If you choose the direct approach, then attach your resume for their reference
- Optional: also attach your unofficial transcript
Example:
| Dear Dr. Nye, My name is Sparky the Sun Devil, I am currently a sophomore majoring in Biological Sciences in the School of Life Sciences and Barrett, the Honors College. I am interested in exploring the potential to treat muscle injuries through molecular therapies and plan to pursue ____ (graduate school, a PhD, an MD, a career in said field, etc.) in the future. I am very interested in your work on regenerative medicine. In particular, in your recent publication, “Regenerating Muscle Cells Using Targeted Molecular Therapies,” I was intrigued by ____. I also found it interesting that ____ (your main takeaway). I am looking for an undergraduate research position starting this coming semester and continuing into the following semesters. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to explore any opportunities available for me to volunteer in your lab. I have also included my resume and unofficial transcript for your review. (Direct approach) OR I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to learn more about your research. Would it be possible to schedule a meeting with you? Please let me know if you would be available. (Indirect approach) Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you! Sincerely, Sparky the Sun Devil |
The most time-intensive element of drafting a cold email is usually reading the paper and summarizing it in 1-2 sentences in your email. Here are some tips:
- Prioritize reading the abstract, introduction, and results section closely.
- Don’t worry about understanding every single detail or term, instead focus on understanding the main points or themes of the research.
- Do not copy direct quotes from the article—summarize the article in your own words.
- For an in-depth guide on summarizing a research paper, watch this 10 minute video on youtube.
After reaching out to a professor, it can take a while to hear back, as they are incredibly busy teaching classes and overseeing their lab. As mentioned earlier, they also receive tons of emails from students every week. Therefore, please don’t feel discouraged if you haven’t heard back from them yet. In the meantime, you can start reaching out to other professors. Generally, I would recommend that students send a follow up email only if they have not heard from the professor within 2 weeks.
In some cases, the professor may let you know that they are not currently taking new undergraduate students. Turn this setback into an opportunity by asking them if they could connect you with a professor who is!
Aspiring PhD 