1. Finding Meaningful Research
Immunology student association

2. Why should you try research?
Learn about what graduate school is like
Helps you build your CV/Resume
Reference for graduate and professional programs!
Understand what is means to be a scientist
Get a new perspective on what you’re learning in class
Meet new mentors!
Graduate students and Professors have very interesting career paths!

3. Choosing a Lab What are you interested in?
What type of research are you interested in?
Animal Work
In vitro
Clinical
What type of environment do you work well in?
Small/Medium labs vs Big labs

4. How to Apply
Look up professors of interest on department/lab website or application
Read their research description
Read a review paper they have written or one on their topic
Contacting the professor by ?
Depends on the program
Contact professors directly or by application
Contact the professor with a tailored and include a Curriculum Vitae/Resume and Transcript
Apply ASAP – Grants and UROP scholarships are due soon

5. Professor Mallevaey! Inflammatory Bowel Disease and iNKT Cells
Review Paper
Strategy of lipid recognition by invariant natural killer T cells: “one for all and all for one.” Immunology. 2012;136(3):

6. What should I include in my CV?
Research Experience
GPA - Not Necessary
Posters/Presentations
Participation in any undergraduate poster presentations
COURSES you have taken and describe them!
Clubs you’ve participated in and your role
Awards and Scholarships
Doesn’t have to be academically related
Employment, Leadership Roles, Extracurriculars
Anything from the past 3 years
Interesting Skills
Do you have experience in programming? Photoshop?

7. Dear Professor/Dr. ____________,
My name is (Name) and I am a currently a (Degree and Year). I am very interested in your research of the NOD1/2 receptor and would like the opportunity to work in your lab for the summer and as an IMM450 project student in the coming academic year. Through my past experiences in research in gut physiology, I am very interested in host-microbiome interactions in regulating inflammatory bowel diseases.
For the past two academic years, I have worked in the lab of ______ in the Department of Physiology. In her lab, I worked on the _______ project; looking at its role intestinal proliferation and microvillus morphology in the small intestine. I have gained extensive experience in working with mice and cell culture, while also learning several techniques such as western blot, qPCR, immunocytochemistry, and immunohistochemistry. Additionally, I have gained experience in using Graphpad Prism for statistical analyses. 
I would like this opportunity to work in your lab to further explore research in gastroenterology in the context of immunology and to develop my research skills in preparation of my goal to pursue graduate studies in the medical sciences.
Attached below are my CV and transcript. Please let me know if I can provide you with any additional information.
Best,

8. Opportunities at U of T Research Courses
ANA498, HMB395, NEW490/491 ROP299/399…
Full year course
Work Study
Available to all students taking a full course load
Fall/Winter and Summer
Volunteer!
Summer Programs
Sickkids
St. Michaels Hospital
IMS
Departmental Programs
International Programs
Queens Elizabeth internship opportunities