For Winter/Spring/Summer 2021
For UChicago undergraduate and MS students interested in environmental research, we have developed a new resource to facilitate connecting students with faculty and staff who can offer research positions. Doing research can be a capstone event for undergraduates and master’s students, but projects and positions are often developed informally with faculty members. This website helps connect students with potential research sponsors.
Process
Answer a brief set of questions on a Google Form, and then upload your CV and a brief statement of interest to the link below. They will be automatically added to a central repository of students looking to get involved with environmental research. All files will be made available to relevant faculty and researchers at UChicago, who can then reach out with potential roles if they see a student with the right skills and interests to help on one of their projects. You can also use the site to facilitate reaching out to faculty members - just contact someone whose research interests you and encourage him/her to check out your CV on the site!
Note that this is not a formal job application -- it is a networking opportunity. The College Center for Research and Fellowships (CCRF) maintains a list of specific job postings and opportunities.
Guidelines
Cover Letter
Give some indication of the type of positions you would be interested in. Bench bio lab work only? Policy analysis? Up for anything?
State why you are interested in research
Reiterate the information on the Google form to help the reader: the time period you’re interested in, how much time you have available, whether you will be looking for an honors thesis opportunity, whether you need pay or might work for free, etc.
CV
Give readers the information they need to see if you are a match. That includes:
Major (or intended major) and year
GPA (ideally major and overall GPA).
Getting a research job is not a GPA competition. It's just one piece of the puzzle in evaluating students.
Prior research experience, if any (not required)
Prior work experience.
Even if you do not have experience in a research lab, it is helpful to show you have had work responsibilities before.
Your skills, capabilities, and interests.
Program in Python? A whiz at GIS? Love archival research? A great writer? Love tinkering with machines? Help a potential sponsor see what positions you’d match to.
Logistics
Your cover letter and CV should be included as a single pdf with the naming convention Lastname_Firstname.pdf, substituting of course your own name. You may include a transcript in your pdf if you want, but recognize that the site is open to any faculty and researchers, so it’s not very private. CVs posted here will stay up for a year, so don’t forget to re-upload for each academic year.
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Faculty Request for Access
For faculty and staff who would like access to this CV repository, please submit your email address below. We’ll send you a link once you've been approved.
This site is organized as part of the Environmental Frontiers initiative, hoping to make it easier for students to get involved in environmental research happening on campus. For questions, contact rdcep-info@uchicago.edu.
