UCLA undergraduate students can join my lab in several ways:
(1) Voluntary Internship
This is how most students begin. It’s an opportunity to learn how research works and to take part in general group activities—basic lab work, group meetings, and occasional fieldwork. There is no course credit or payment at this stage, but students may request a reference letter documenting their work in the lab.
(2) Student Research Programs (SRP-99) and Directed Research / Senior Project (199)
Students can conduct supervised individual research under the guidance of a faculty mentor and receive academic credit for their work.
Sources:
EPS SCI 199, A&O SCI 199, EE BIOL 199
(3) EPSS Departmental Undergraduate Fellowships
Our department offers several competitive undergraduate fellowships each year. Students must contact me before applying so we can discuss a feasible project and timeline.
Source:
Undergraduate Funds – UCLA EPSS
(4) Undergraduate Research Assistant (Paid Position)
After gaining sufficient experience through one of the options above, students may be invited to join the lab as paid research assistants (funded through research grants). This work is paid hourly and supports ongoing research projects. Because many of our methods are time-intensive, students should ideally have 4–8 hours per week available—preferably spread over no more than two days. We also aim for long-term continuity, so a commitment of at least 3–4 quarters is expected. For this reason, it is best to join the lab early rather than shortly before graduation.
Our lab typically mentors 2–3 undergraduate students at a time, which is about the maximum we can support effectively. Day-to-day mentoring is handled by my graduate students and postdocs, while I provide overarching supervision.
If you are interested in joining the group, please send me a brief email that includes:
- Your background,
- Why you would like to join the lab, and
- Which of the options above you are interested in (both short-term and long-term).
We generally do not recruit on a rolling basis. Instead, I keep a list of interested students and conduct a full recruitment cycle—with applications and interviews—when we have capacity to bring new undergraduates into the group. Exceptions may apply for SRP-99/199 enrollments and EPSS fellowship applications.