One of the most important steps in the MBGP application process is identifying a potential faculty sponsor. The number of spaces available for new graduate students is directly related to opportunities available in the MBio graduate faculty labs.
Students who successfully confirm the interest of a potential advisor reach out to graduate faculty very early in the application process. It is in the applicant’s best interest to contact potential sponsors well before the application deadline to discuss research intents & goals and to ask if they can provide research space and mentoring during your graduate study.
If you have not identified the MBIO graduate faculty you might want to work with, please follow these steps:
- Read about MBIO graduate faculty with whom you share a scientific or research interest. Visit their lab websites, learn about their active research projects. Some faculty will provide information or instructions for potential grad students on their lab websites under headings similar to “Join us” or “Apply to our Lab”. Make sure that you follow any guidance provided.
- Contact, via email, a minimum of three faculty with whom you share scientific research interest. Here are some tips for this email:
- Keep your first email to a faculty member clear and brief, no more than 1-2 very short paragraphs. (Remember to follow any guidance provided on the faculty’s website.)
- In the first or second sentence, state that you intend to apply to the Marine Biology Graduate Program for Fall 2025 admission and you are interested in learning about opportunities in their lab.
- Specifically ask if they will accept graduate students for 2025 admission.
- Provide a concise introduction to you and your interests (two or three sentences at most.)
- Request a zoom or telephone call to discuss your interest in their lab.
- Attach your CV.
- Follow up with weekly or bi-weekly emails, making sure to include your first email. Some of the faculty receive 100s of emails each day and it is a challenge to read every email received. A lack of response does not necessarily indicate disinterest.
- If the lab has a lab manager or research scientist, forward your email to them and inquire into whether the lab is accepting graduate students in Fall 2025. Ask the lab manager for advice for reaching the faculty.
- If the faculty member does not respond after several emails, focus on other potential faculty mentors.
- Apply for funding. Students who successfully apply for fellowships, such as the NFS Graduate Research Fellowship or International Fulbright Foreign Student Program and others, can support their graduate school cost and qualify for other assistance through the University. You may read about other graduate student funding and support opportunities on this Graduate Division webpage. If you do apply for funding, mention this in your email to the faculty.
What if you do not receive a response from a faculty member?
You may still apply to the MBGP. All complete applications are submitted to the MBio graduate faculty for consideration.
Remember, some faculty receive dozens – even 100s – of emails each day and it is a challenge to read every email received. A lack of response does not necessarily indicate disinterest.
Even without a response, you may still indicate your interest in working with a faculty member in the MBGP applicant survey under the section “Your Interests in the Marine Biology Graduate Program.” If you check a faculty member’s name on the survey, that faculty member will be notified of your interest in their lab.
What if you are not sure which faculty you want to work with?
Start by reading about faculty who conduct a type of research, or who study an environment, process or organism, in which you have interest.
Visit the faculty member’s web site and read about their lab activities. Read about the current postdoctoral scholars and graduate students in the lab and their research projects.
Explore recent research publications from the lab to gain perspective about the research questions they ask and the research tools and techniques they employ.
If you are still unsure, you may want to take time to consider your own interests and professional objectives. Pursuing volunteer or employment opportunities that match your interests can help you clarify what you want from your graduate studies.