Do real neuroscience. Grow as a scientist.
The Krishnan Lab trains undergraduates to ask real research questions — about how the brain learns, adapts, and changes — and gives you the tools, mentorship, and ownership to pursue them. If you’re curious about brains and behaviors, and willing to invest in the work, we’d like to hear from you.
What you’ll gain
You’ll contribute to active projects and develop skills that carry into graduate school, medical school, and beyond.
- You’ll work on an ongoing project, learn the techniques behind it (immunostaining, microscopy, animal behavior, and computational analysis), and see how a question travels from data to interpretation.
- Mentorship that’s invested in you — weekly lab meetings, direct feedback, and guidance from graduate students, postdocs, and Dr. Krishnan on both your project and your next career step.
- Transferable skills — critical thinking, scientific reading, data analysis, and (for those interested) coding and data visualization.
- A track record you can build on — students from the lab have co-authored papers, presented at national and international conferences, won research awards and scholarships, and gone on to Masters, MD and PhD programs.
What we look for
Being part of a research lab is a privilege — it means being trusted with real scientific questions, shared resources, and the time of people deeply invested in the work. We take that seriously, and we look for students who do too. More than grades or prior lab experience, we look for four qualities. When we talk, we’ll ask you to speak to each one with a specific example, so come ready:
Curiosity — Do you want to understand why, not just what? Are you the kind of person who follows a question down the rabbit hole?
Reliability — Can your lab mates and mentors count on you to show up, follow through, and communicate early when something comes up?
Following directions — Can you carry out detailed instructions carefully and accurately — especially the first time?
Initiative — Once you understand what a task needs, can you take ownership and see it through to completion without being reminded?
What we expect
- A time commitment of roughly ~12 hours per week during the semester.
- Additionally, we have mandatory lab meetings from 9-10am on Wednesdays throughout the year.
- We also strongly recommend attending NeuroNET seminars on Tuesdays at 3pm, to supplement your Neuroscience education.
- A multi-semester commitment is preferred — research skills compound over time, and we invest accordingly. After a trial semester, if it’s a mutual fit, students typically continue and take on more responsibilities and acquire expertise.
- Freshmen and sophomores are especially encouraged to reach out early — ideally at least 2 semesters ahead — so we can plan space and a project for you. Previous lab members have majored in BCMB, Neuroscience, and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, among others.
Ways to join
There are several routes into the lab depending on your year, goals, and eligibility:
- BCMB 200 — enroll for 1 credit hour per semester to get introduction into the lab, and start training on an ongoing project.
- Volunteer — contribute on a project without enrolling for credit. This is the preferred way for us to establish mutual interest.
- Federal Work-Study — eligible students may use FWS for a research position. Please contact Dr. Krishnan first to discuss fit and availability before pursuing this route.
- Undergraduate research fellowships — once you have been in the lab, learned basic skills, making good progress, and are committed to continuing further, we can find undergraduate fellowships to fund you. Please talk with Dr. Krishnan about timing and eligibility.
- Grant-funded summer and semester opportunities may be available periodically.
How to apply
- Read this page and our Research page, and skim one or two of our recent papers — come with a sense of what we study and which kind of role suits you.
- Complete the undergraduate research application.
- Interview with Dr. Krishnan and lab members. We often interview as a group, and we’ll give you time to think before you answer — we’re listening for the qualities above, not for instant answers.
In their words: Hear about research experiences from previous lab members
Graduate Students
Talented undergraduate students interested in conducting doctoral studies with Dr. Krishnan are encouraged to contact her. Dr. Krishnan is interested in working with the student in preparing and applying for external funding.
Graduate students may rotate in the lab after they are admitted to the Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology program.
Students interested in learning and taking integrative approaches to Neuroscience, from molecules to behavior, are encouraged to consider rotations in the Krishnan Lab.