Graduate Study and Research Positions for Graduation Students

Interested in an advanced degree in the sciences?

The Council on Undergraduate Research hosts a Registry of Undergraduate Researchers.  The purpose of this registry is to facilitate matchmaking between undergraduates who have research experience and a desire to pursue an advanced degree, with graduate schools seeking high quality students who are well prepared for research.  The Registry is open to students and graduate schools in the fields of Anthropology/Archaeology, Arts/Humanities, Biology/Biochemistry, Business, Chemistry/Biochemistry, Economics, Education, Engineering, English and Linguistics, Environmental Studies, Geosciences, Health Professions, History, Journalism and Communications, Mathematics/Computer Science, Physics/ Astronomy, Political Science, Psychology, Social Work and Sociology. Any undergraduate may go to www.cur.org/ugreg to fill out a simple curriculum vitae form.  There is no charge to the student and records will be made available to bona fide Graduate Schools that contract with CUR for this service.  Organizations or companies seeking the students’ information for other marketing purposes will not be granted access.  Graduate School representatives may contact students to invite applications or visits to the campus and laboratory, or to share information about their research programs and financial support opportunities.

Graduate schools may provide a link to their websites, and may provide a short description of opportunities, such as research fields and fellowships. It will also be possible for institutions to place an ad on the database website if the content is related to the mission of CUR and the Undergraduate Registry.

We hope that students who are currently in their junior year will register now, but anyone with undergraduate research experience may register at any time.  You will be able to update your listing as appropriate, to include any summer research experience or information about Senior Theses and test scores.  We also welcome submissions by students who are engaged in Masters' Degree programs now but who plan on going on to a PhD program. Just fill out the information on the form including the date you intend to enter a PhD program and your date of completion of your undergraduate degree.  Upload a link to your CV that contains complete information about your MS/MA degree activity (school, subject, thesis topic (if applicable), and advisor).

CUR believes that this service will be a great benefit for both students and graduate schools by narrowing the search for the right match.  So if you are interested in graduate school, please take a moment to register now.  Be sure to include a statement of your research interests, as this will be important for making the match.

Research Positions (updated March 2, 2011)

Searching for a full-time research position can be a full-time job. One place to check is your home department here at Holy Cross. Often, department chairs and other faculty will receive information about an opening.

In addition, there are several excellent web resources you can use to locate a graduate research position.

Evoldir, for example, provides a means for evolutionary biologists, population biologists and scientists in related areas to post and distribute information about jobs, meetings, and other important events. Go their website and scroll down to graduate job listings for more information.

Below are recent postings I have received regarding research positions for students with a bachelor's degree.

Pfizer, a world-renowned pharmaceutical company has an excellent web resource regarding career and internship opportunities at Pfizer.

Abbott Bioresearch Center in Worcester, MA is seeking an Associate Scientist in the Enzymology group of the Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology Department. The successful candidate will be responsible for enzyme characterization including catalytic and physical properties, inhibitor characterization including compound potency and mechanism, data reduction and reporting to project teams. Good quantitative skills essential. Skills/Experience Requirements Basic Qualifications: The candidate should be familiar with enzyme assay equipment such as plate readers, scintillation counters and spectrometers, instrument control and data reduction and presentation software. Experience in quantitative biochemistry including enzyme kinetics. Preferred Qualification: Experience with protein purification and analytic equipment such as FPLC and HPLC would be a plus. 3+ years industry experience is preferred. Education Requirements B.S. or M.S. or equivalent in Biochemistry, Chemistry or related field. Please contact Dr. Eric Goedken at eric.goedken@abbott.com (received January 3, 2011).

Massachusetts General Hospital - Center for Women' Mental Health Clinical Research Coordinator Position Announcement: The Center for Women's Mental Health is a clinical and research program within the Department of Psychiatry at MGH. Our Program is dedicated to the evaluation and treatment of psychiatric disorders associated with female reproductive function. The Program provides a range of clinical services to women which include: consultation regarding the use of psychiatric medications during pregnancy; treatment for postpartum mood and anxiety disorders; treatment for premenstrual syndrome; and treatment of menopause related mood and anxiety symptoms, sleep disorders, and hot flashes. Our research examines a wide range of questions which affect the lives of women with these conditions (see www.womensmentalhealth.org for more information). Responsibilities: The research coordinators in our Program each manage 2-3 active clinical studies, which allows them to be involved in the entire research process. This is different from most other groups in the department where the research coordinators are assigned a particular task that they perform across all of the group's trials. In our experience, having one person for each trial allows that research coordinator to gain broader experience during his/her time at the Center. The research coordinators are primarily responsible for the following research activities:* Managing the recruitment, screening and enrollment of research patients; * Conducting research visits with study patients and study clinicians; * Administering psychiatric assessments; * Phlebotomy and specimen preparation; * Data collection and entry, and database management; * Preparation and submission of research protocols to the IRB; * Ensuring compliance with the Partners IRB and other federal and institutional guidelines. Additionally, the research coordinators are responsible for various administrative tasks such as managing our offsite record storage facility and maintaining the master research visit schedule. Special projects, such as a grant submission or a journal article submission, come up regularly and research coordinators are assigned to assist with these as necessary. Work Environment: Our group is made up of three research coordinators, the program coordinator, three full time psychiatrists, including the director, and seven part time clinicians. The research coordinators work closely with the study principal investigators and meet twice weekly as a group to review study progress. The group meets once a week for two hours to review clinical cases and ongoing research progress. Details: We are looking for candidates who possess at least a bachelor's degree and who can start no later than June 1st, although an earlier start would be appreciated. The salary for this full-time position will start at $27,000 per year, and benefits are available. Interested applicants may send cover letters and resumes to Elizabeth Lemon via email to elemon@partners.org or via USPS to 185 Cambridge Street, Floor 2, Boston, MA 02114.