Getting Started
A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step... Continue reading to learn how to start your successful physics research (or any research) path!
The only way to get research is to ask...
Research is essential, and is an important of your application (a requirement at this point) if you’re planning on going to graduate school, especially for PhD programs, where a school is basically hiring you to do research.
Step 1
So, the first step is going to be one of two things: either you’ve taken a class with a professor you really like and want to work with them regardless of their research (maybe you don’t know what you want to do just yet), or do some searching and find a professor at your university who is working on something that sounds interesting. You also don't have to conduct research at your university, and can reach out to professors at different universities. There may be an application process, as usually you would do this during the summer. Either way, email them.
A third, but less likely option is to attend colloquiums. At my undergraduate university, they were given weekly, and students would be able to speak to the presenter afterwards and ask about their work.
Unsure of what topics are out there in the research world? Click here to explore your potential interests and find relevant papers to further your knowledge!
Step 2
The email should be structured something like this: introduction, how you know them, what do you want, when to discuss.
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Introduction: Who are you? Year? Major?
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How you know them: What class did you have them for? What research of theirs did you find particularly interesting?
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What do you want: To do research with them!
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When to discuss: “Please let me know what date and time would work best for you to discuss this further. My availability is…” (or something like that)
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Attach your current CV if you would like to. They might ask for you to send them a copy of it anyway.
Step 3
They’ve agreed to meet with you:
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Make sure you’ve actually looked at their work, read some of their papers, etc. You don’t have to understand it 100%, but just enough to get the gist of things and be able to show interest.
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Have questions for them. When would you be able to start? During the regular semester or just over the summer? Paid or for credit? Would you have to do a “reading class” first? Any prerequisite classes before they think you would be ready to start research? To clarify, a reading class is something you'd do with the professor before actually starting the research, where they will give you suggested reading material (textbooks, papers, etc.) so that you are familiar with the topic.​​