Research Rotations

We are a rotation-based program. Students are not directly admitted to any lab, and do not select thesis advisors until after the completion of rotations. The goal of research rotations is three-fold: (1) To identify a thesis advisor who is a good match for you, as a doctoral candidate, (2) To learn new methods and content areas to identify directions for thesis research, (3) To gain exposure to a range of approaches to science – both technical and conceptual. Research rotations begin in the first summer of the program – students are immersed in a rotation – full time, during the first summer, and then part time during the fall and spring semesters.

Students are not expected to generate complete projects. The learning experience – and determining if a laboratory is a good fit for thesis research – is the emphasis of these rotations. First Year PhD students receive advising on rotation selection from the PhD Program leadership.