Choosing Undergraduate Research Lab

[bacte2013]

Dear all,

I am a sophomore at one of respected public hresearch university; my major is a microbiology (and I am also considering double major in the chemistry). My future goal is to go to the graduate programs in medical microbiology/virology or chemical biology with focus on the virology; my academic goal is to study the signaling molecules and pathways between the viruses and host cells. During my freshman year, I did a research in the bacteriology lab that studies the mechanisms of bacterial/fungal bio-fuel production, but I realized that I am more into the medical microbiology and applications of chemistry to biological principles (hence the name chemical biology). So I had resigned from that lab after the end of this summer and got into two research labs that are focused on different fields.

The first lab is a virology lab that studies the genetic sequence and molecular evolution of viruses. The second lab is a chemical biology/bio-analytical chemistry lab that studies the cell signaling molecules involved in central dogma of biology (specifically the RNA) and development of methodology and instrumentation to study such signaling molecules. Both labs promised me that they will provide the independent research to me, and I believe the chemical biology lab has more independent researches (with various topics like bacterial genome, carbohydrate signals, etc.) that I can carry out after this semester. Since my goal is to become a virologist, it seems that the virology lab is right one for me. However, I am also immensely interested in the chemical biology lab since I am also interested in the cell signaling and I want to study the cell signaling systems in viruses (in future). Could you help me on deciding which research lab should I start my journey with? I do not know if the fame of PI and different undergraduate research (different from graduate programs; i.e. undergraduate research in chemistry for the graduate schools in microbiology) have impact when applying to the graduate schools. The virology lab is relatively new and the PI is an associate professor (relatively young). PI for the chemical biology lab is very famous and he is a full professor which some names in front of professor status.

I sincerely apologize for this very long post, and I am also sorry about the grammatical errors!
I look forward to your advice and suggestions!

MSK

 

[TonyG]

Dear MSK,

First of all, congratulations on your accomplishments and your passion for research in the field of microbiology and virology. It is great to see you taking on multiple research opportunities to explore different areas of interest and gain valuable experience.

In terms of your question about which research lab to choose, my advice would be to follow your interests and choose the lab that aligns more closely with your long-term goals. As you mentioned, your ultimate goal is to become a virologist and study the signaling molecules and pathways between viruses and host cells. Therefore, the virology lab seems like the best fit for you at this time.

However, that does not mean that you should completely disregard the chemical biology lab. If you have the capacity, it may be beneficial to continue working in both labs, as long as it does not compromise the quality of your work or your academic performance. This will allow you to gain a broader understanding of different research areas and may even provide opportunities for collaboration between the two labs.

In terms of the impact of the PI's fame and the specific focus of your undergraduate research on your graduate school applications, it is important to remember that graduate programs look at a combination of factors, including your research experience, academic performance, and letters of recommendation. While the reputation of the PI and the specific research focus may be considered, they are not the only determining factors for admission.

Ultimately, my advice is to choose the research lab that aligns with your interests and allows you to gain the most valuable experience. I wish you all the best in your research journey and future graduate studies.