Obtaining hands-on experience in a neuroscience lab is an exciting experience that will complement what you'll learn in the classroom.
You do not need to have any prior experience — the lab will provide a mentor and the necessary training.
The process of finding a lab is unstructured. Most undergrads find their positions by cold-emailing the PI (Principal Investigator, aka the faculty member who heads the lab*).*
Read the requirements for a Neuroscience thesis project.
Reflect on what ideas have grabbed your attention in the past, in courses or more broadly.
You can also read the guides linked here in Step 1, and think about what you would like to get out of your research experience.
Explore the research labs affiliated with Harvard.
Make a list of ~3-8 labs whose work interests you most.
Send personalized emails to the PIs (Principal Investigator, aka the faculty member who heads the lab). See below for a guide.
You are welcome to send emails to and interview with a few labs at a time. I recommend sending 3-4 emails in the first round. Not all labs will have open positions, and if you visit more than one lab, you compare them head-to-head. This increases your chances of finding a lab that’s a good fit; not just the first one that says yes.
It’s best to tailor the email to the lab and include some specifics (so it doesn't sound like a generic inquiry that you’ve sent to multiple labs). Below is an outline you can use as a starting place. Each bullet can be even just 1 sentence, because you want the email overall to be relatively short.
Start by briefly introducing yourself and the reason for your email (i.e. you’d like to learn about undergraduate research opportunities in their lab).
Next: Tell them about yourself: what your interests and goals are, and why you’re interested in their research group.
Also describe any previous experiences that may be relevant. Coding is a huge asset in many research settings, so if you’ve taken CS 32, AM 10, or have experience with Python, Matlab, or R, mention that.
Prior experience is not required for joining most research groups. Many undergraduates have had little, if any, previous research experience.
Next: mention a specific piece of their research that interest you. To get this information, read the lab’s website and skim a few recent publications. Your application will be stronger if you convey not only some knowledge of the lab’s research area, but also a genuine interest in their scientific goals and technical approaches. Citing recent publications is best because projects change over time.
Logistics: If you’re hoping to get started quickly: Give a timeline of your ideal start date, how many hours per week you can devote during the academic term and/or a sense of how research would fit into your class schedule (i.e. MWF afternoons I am available from 2 pm on).
Closing/call to action: Request a 30 minute meeting (ideally, a visit to the lab) to learn more about ongoing projects in the lab. Provide a few options that work with your schedule.
Ideally, you will also attach a CV (a CV is like a resume, but focused on science). For this context, you can include relevant coursework too. It should be 1 page. Here’s an example.