How to Cold Email a Research Advisor

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While looking for research opportunities with professors you already have a connection with is a great way to gain research experience, this is not always an option. In those cases, "cold" emailing is a common way to forge a connection with a professor you do not know personally. Once you find a ​specific professor (or a few) who you are interested in potentially working with, you can use the following guideline to craft your email. 

 

1. Begin with "Dear Dr./Professor ___"... Don't use colloquial words like "hey," and make sure you have their correct title.

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2. Offer a kind greeting like "I hope this email finds you well."

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3. Tell them who you are. Your year, field of study, and any honors you may hold.

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4. Tell them what your goal is (to get involved with a specific type of research, etc.) and how that connects to their work.

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5. If you have read any of their papers, seen any of their presentations, know about specific projects they work on etc., this would be a good place to mention that and what you took away from their work. (This is a great opportunity to show that you have an understanding of their work and value its impact on the broader community... it can be very​ helpful to stroke their ego here too.)

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6. Mention any relevant coursework/research experience/internships you have had.

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7. Tell them you would like to speak with them more about their work and the possibility of undergraduate opportunities in their lab (this sets up a concrete next step in your communication).

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8. Acknowledge how busy they are and how much you appreciate their time in reading your email.

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9. Sign off with something professional "Sincerely, Nicole Firestone"

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10. Lastly, make sure you attach an updated version of your resume/CV

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Below is an example email from when I was at a similar point to you in my career:

 

Dear Professor Cowen, 

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I hope this email finds you well! My name is Nicole Firestone and I am a sophomore Braddock Science Scholar here at Penn State studying Physics and Astronomy & Astrophysics, with a minor in Mathematics. I am looking to get involved with research on campus, and your work in particle astrophysics particularly piqued my interest. Especially with so many recent breakthroughs in multi-messenger astronomy, your work with IceCube and AMON is of great importance to the up-and-coming generation of astrophysicists, and something that I would be thrilled to get involved with. As of now, I have taken Honors Physics 211, Honors Physics 212, and up through Calculus 3. I am currently taking Physics 213 and 214 for Majors, Astronomy 291, Differential Equations (Math 251), and Linear Algebra (Math 220). I would really appreciate the chance to speak with you about your research and about possible undergraduate opportunities in your lab.

 

I know you are very busy, so thank you so much for taking the time to consider my email and my attached CV. I would love to learn more about your work! 

 

Best regards, 

Nicole Firestone

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You should consider sending this type of email to a few professors! If you hear back from multiple, then you can still meet with each of them and learn about their work before you make a decision about who you'd like to work with. It's also important to meet with a professor before you work with them because you want to make sure they will be a compatible mentor for you. All of this being said, you should be prepared for the professors not to respond. They are super busy and get many emails... but don't take this personally! It has nothing to do with you. There's nothing wrong with emailing them a follow up a week or so later. Best of luck with those cold emails!