Philosophy
We believe that people do their best and most creative work when they lead balanced lives–a passion for science and a strong work ethic are a must, but we hope you bring and maintain outside interests as well! We welcome individuals of all backgrounds who will work collaboratively with us towards creating an environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging. Our lab has an outstanding training record and remains committed to providing holistic mentoring to best position trainees for success in the career of their choice. All graduate and postdoctoral trainees complete and review annual individual development plans with Prof. Glaunsinger.
Undergraduates
Performing research as an undergraduate gives the opportunity to learn about the process of scientific discovery! We welcome the opportunity to engage undergraduate students in our laboratory research. Students are not required to have any prior research experience in order to join our lab. Each student is paired with an in-lab mentor (graduate student or postdoctoral fellow) who will design an appropriate research project and work directly with you to teach you how to keep a lab notebook, how to carry out experiments and interpret data, how to read and evaluate scientific papers and how to present your findings to others. Students meet quarterly with Prof. Glaunsinger to review their progress and are encouraged to attend and participate in the weekly lab group meetings.
Expectations of undergraduate researchers:
-Majoring or anticipating majoring in a biological science
-We will also consider students with a computer science background/major who are interested in applying computational tools to molecular biology; in this case you should have some coursework in biological sciences (e.g. Bio1A).
-Ability to commit approximately 10hrs/week to lab work. This is generally split across multiple weekdays (i.e. 2-4 hrs 3-4 days per week rather than one or two long days), as experiments often take multiple consecutive days to complete.
-Enthusiasm for science and a willingness to learn from and engage with the lab group
In general, we can accommodate 2-4 undergrad researchers at a given time and will post a notification below when a new spot opens up. When positions open up they are usually for start dates at the beginning of the fall, spring or summer terms but once students join the lab they are encouraged to remain for at least a year. If you see below that we have a position available and would like to apply for it, please send an email to hnpham@berkeley.edu in which you provide brief (a couple of sentences or short paragraph) answers the following questions:
- What interests you about our lab’s work?
- What do you hope to gain from this research experience? How might this fit into your future career goals?
- We welcome students from all backgrounds and hope you bring your authentic self to our group. In this regard, describe your journey into science– this could include, for example, aspects of your identity, any challenges you are working to/have worked to overcome, a meaningful experience, or an issue of importance to you.
Current Availability: We are currently closed for applications for fall 2024. More positions may open near the end of this semester for spring 2025, please check here or the Berkeley Discovery Opportunities Database for updates.
Graduate (PhD) Students
Graduate students must first be accepted into one of the following PhD programs: Microbiology, Molecular and Cell Biology, or Infectious Diseases & Immunity. During their first year in each of these programs, students do a series of rotations through 3-4 different labs before selecting their thesis lab. During your rotation, you will be paired up with an in-lab mentor (senior graduate student or postdoc) who will have designed together with Prof. Glaunsinger a ‘bite sized’ project to give you a feel for the types of techniques we routinely use. Your goals during the rotation are to interact with others in the lab to learn about the breadth of our science and to gauge whether the style of mentorship and lab dynamic are a good fit for you–and also to display your approach to science and lab citizenship, motivation and collegiality to us! While here, you will meet with Prof. Glaunsinger each week, attend our weekly lab meeting and give a ~20 minute presentation on your project to the lab at the completion of your rotation. PhD students do not need to have prior experience in virology before rotating through or joining our lab (we can teach you that!), although some experience in molecular biology and/or biochemistry is often helpful.
Postdoctoral Researchers
We welcome postdoctoral candidates who will complement and/or extend our existing expertise and broaden our perspective through a diversity of life experiences. All incoming postdocs apply for fellowships either before coming or (more commonly) during their first year in the lab, but acceptance into the lab is not contingent on obtaining external funding. Postdocs interested in an academic career are welcome to take their projects and reagents with them to start their new lab. Interested candidates should email Britt Glaunsinger (glaunsinger@berkeley.edu) with a copy of your CV, a description of what has fueled your interest in science and in our lab and 1-2 ideas you have for potential research projects.
