How to enroll in Biology research for credit

The Biology Department will register you for your research classes – BIOL 295, BIOL 395, BIOL 495, BIOL 395H, and BIOL 692H.  First, find a full-time Biology faculty member who will be willing to mentor you in your research. Don’t wait until the start of the semester to find someone to work with.  The Dean’s Office now requires that you submit your application/transcript by the first day of classes.  If you choose to work with someone outside the Biology Department, you will need to find a full-time Biology faculty member to sponsor you.  Then, apply online through this link- https://forms.gle/eg7G3fUWfrzTCdya6

BIOL 395/395H/495 applications are due by the first week of classes.  BIOL 692H applications are due Nov 15 for the spring and April 15 for the fall. Once your application has been approved, Summer will enroll you in the  proper research section.  A new application will need to be done each semester and one for each summer school session.

Identify a faculty mentor

The first step to doing undergraduate research is to find a faculty mentor. Choosing the right mentor and laboratory will have a large impact on your research experience and deserves serious effort and preparation on your part. Faculty do not generally advertise undergraduate research positions and, therefore, you will have to actively seek out a mentor. You do not need to have a particular research project in mind, just the desire to do research. Your faculty mentor can be someone from the Department of Biology or someone in a related discipline outside the department. If you plan to do research for Biology 395/495 course credit and you choose a mentor outside the Department of Biology you will also need a full time Biology faculty sponsor who will be willing to meet with you on a regular basis and keep track of what you are accomplishing in your mentor’s laboratory.  Because this is a BIOL research section, a BIOL faculty member must submit your grade.

To identify a potential faculty mentor we suggest talking to professors from whom you have taken classes and scanning individual faculty web pages to identify a research program in an area of particular interest to you. (See these listings of faculty on the Research Areas page) Ideally, you will identify several possible mentors. Contact the individual faculty member(s) in person, by phone, or by email to set up an appointment to talk about the possibility of undertaking an undergraduate research project in their laboratories.  Professors are generally more than willing to talk with students about their research programs. However, students should recognize that not all faculty have the space, time, or resources to mentor every interested undergraduate, and some faculty may not able to consider you for a position in their laboratories. Therefore, it is advisable to consider multiple faculty members. Perseverance in finding a mentor will almost always be rewarded. We suggest that you start looking for a mentor one semester before you would like to begin a research project.

Don’t wait until the start of the semester to look for a research advisor or faculty sponsor!  You will have to submit a new application for each semester you do research.

Tips for how to find a Research Mentor

Tips for how to contact faculty about a research position

For more information, please contact:

BIOL 395/395H/495 – Dr Gidi Shemer, bishemer@email.unc.edu

BIOL 692H – Dr Amy Shaub Maddox, asm@unc.edu