Undergraduate Opportunities
Research Opportunities
There are many opportunities for students to carry out research in the laboratory of a faculty member in MCDB. A broad spectrum of state-of-the-art research activities is performed at Yale in the MCDB department and in related departments including the Yale School Medicine.
This research is in molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, neurobiology, physiology, computational plant sciences biology, and evolution. All interested students are encouraged to participate in research.
Fellowships & Educational Opportunities
Research Assistant - Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School
We are currently looking to hire 1 full-time research assistant (RA) to join us at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. We also anticipate posting for additional hires in the spring.
The RA will assist with NIMH-funded studies aimed at improving short-term risk prediction for suicidal behavior in youth. We are particularly seeking candidates who demonstrate the character, integrity, and work ethic to excel in a collaborative work environment with a clinically sensitive population. Studies assessing proximal risk for suicidal behavior use computational methods to model neurocognitive markers and/or ambulatory indices (i.e., mobile technology including actigraphy, passive sensing of physiological arousal, passive sensing of social engagement and physical activity, and ecological momentary assessment) in psychiatrically hospitalized youth (see R01MH137793, R01MH124899, R01MH115905, K23MH126168). Additional studies focus on employing computer vision to identify visual indicators of suicide risk among adolescents (R21MH127231, YIG-1-020-20). We also have studies aim to examine how parent-child stress interactions may be associated with or protect against suicide risk in adolescents using automatic sensing of acoustic and visual behaviors (R21MH130767); automate identification of social stressors in social media that may serve as proximal predictors of suicide-related outcomes (K24MH136418), and develop suicide risk prediction algorithms with electronic health records for minoritized youth (P50MH129699).
The RA will work under the mentorship of Dr. Richard Liu and Dr. Taylor Burke at Massachusetts General Hospital. This position is particularly well suited for individuals seeking to gain research and clinical experience prior to graduate or medical school. RAs who demonstrate potential and excel in this position often have opportunities to receive mentorship on conducting independent research projects and grant-writing. More details about these opportunities and a list of our RAs’ 1st author papers and extramural grants from their time in our lab may be found here.
Application information: The start date is summer 2025. Interested applicants are invited to submit a cover letter and CV through this link. Any questions may be directed to Devika Goel at mghmoodandbehaviorlab@gmail.com.
Accepting applications for the Ph.D. program in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Wesleyan University
The Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (MB&B) Department at Wesleyan University is home to a vibrant community of researchers who study various cellular processes at the molecular level, using approaches ranging from microscopic imaging to X-ray crystallography. Our PhD students benefit from generous NIH and NSF support for instrumentation and other resources rivaling those at larger universities, and a low student to faculty ratio that promotes one-on-one training. Although not required, as a premier liberal arts institution, graduate students have the opportunity to teach and train undergraduate students, honing their teaching skills and enhancing their professional development. Our students graduate ready to enter their chosen fields as emerging leaders.
Training in our department is complemented by strong interactions with two interdisciplinary programs, Molecular Biophysics and Integrative Genomic Sciences, which offer students wide variety research training opportunities. Both programs provide a framework for exciting collaborations between the MB&B, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics departments.
PhD students at Wesleyan University are supported by a yearly teaching or research stipend ($43,176 for 2024/25) and a tuition waiver. Students are also encouraged to present their work at regional and national conferences with department and university support. Application to the PhD program is free. Wesleyan University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or other legally protected status. We welcome applications from women and historically underrepresented groups.
Faculty interests are given below and further information is available online at https://www.wesleyan.edu/mbb/grad_studies/index.html. Please send queries to Mary Readinger (mreadinger@wesleyan.edu)
Porter and Field Prizes - Call for Student Submissions (Deadline: May 1)
Students submit their own work for consideration.
Submissions across a broad range of scholarly work are welcome. They most often recognize senior projects and essays, as well as creative writing. Students enrolled in any degree program during the current academic year are eligible to apply, and the judges welcome submissions from all disciplines—sciences, social sciences, engineering, and humanities.
The Porter Prize recognizes original scholarship that gathers and synthesizes facts and principles to create work of broad human interest. The Field Prize celebrates poetic, literary, or religious scholarship, including creative writing.
Key details:
Deadline: May 1, 2025, at 1:00 PM
Submission details, guidelines, FAQs, and past winners: porterfield.yale.edu
Please contact porterfield.prizes@yale.edu with any questions.
Opportunity for Seniors
Postgraduate Position in Clinical/Translational Research (Genitourinary Medical Oncology Program/Braun Lab)
The Braun Lab (Yale Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology / Yale Cancer Center / Yale School of Medicine) is seeking a highly motivated postgraduate appointee to help develop a cutting-edge biospecimen collection and repository system for human cancer research, with an initial focus on patients with kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma). The mission is to learn human tumor immunology to better understand the biology of human cancers and develop novel therapies. The successful candidate will work in a highly collaborative environment including faculty and staff from medical oncology, urology, and pathology, both from within Yale and from outside the institution.
The postgraduate appointee will have a role in development of human subjects research protocols, identification and consenting of potential subjects, coordination across multiple specialties for tissue acquisition, direct human tissue processing, storing and tracking of stored samples, and maintenance of an associated clinical database. The postgraduate appointee will also assist in development of protocols and agreements for collaborations with other institutions, and will help ensure regulatory compliance.
1. Training: Postgraduates will develop skillsets in clinical and translational research, including skills for interacting directly with oncology patients, for working in a multidisciplinary team environment, for developing human subjects research protocols, for processing human biospecimens, and for organizing and managing a biobanking effort.
2. Mentoring: The BraunLab is committed to mentoring postgraduates, and the Principal Investigator (PI) has an established track record of postgraduate mentees ultimately going to medical school or other professional schools. The postgraduate would meet at least weekly with the PI, with additional dedicated meetings for mentoring and career development.
3. Education / Qualifications: Applicants should be highly motivated, able to work well in a multidisciplinary team, and have strong organizational skills. A Bachelor’s degree is required at the time of starting the position.
Qualifications: Applicants must have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree. The ideal candidate will be collaborative in nature, an independent learning, able to problem solve, have outstanding oral and written communication skills, and excel at organization.
Process to apply: Interested applicants should send a CV and contact information for 3 references to david.braun@yale.edu. (applications will be assessed on a rolling basis)
This is a 2-year postgrad research position in Dr. David Braun’s lab at the Yale Cancer Center. It is an amazing opportunity for future MD applicants who will gain patient interactions and are involved in translational research as well as regular mentorship and career development meetings with Dr. Braun.
2025 Postdoctoral Fellow Position Job Posting - 1 Position Remaining
Opened in 2015, the Center for Progressive Psychotherapy is an outpatient group practice located in Manhattan, NYC. We treat adult patients both individually and as couples. While our current clinicians and postdocs work integrative, the training program focuses on educating and supervising our postdoctoral fellows in contemporary psychodynamic psychotherapy.
You can learn more about our practice here: https://cpp-nyc.com/
Job opportunity for Graduating Students at Vevo Therapeutics
Vevo Therapeutics, a biotech company focused on advancing in vivo drug discovery through our mosaic platform currently has an open position that may be of interest to MCDB graduating students or recent alumni, particularly those interested in the biotech industry.
Position: Associate Research Scientist
Location: South San Francisco, CA
Job Description: full-time, in person
Apply here: https://jobs.lever.co/vevo-ai
Job sent from an MCDB alum who adds: I love working at Vevo very much and felt like my growth has been exponential since joining. I joined right after graduating Yale May 2023 (MCDB major, actually!). Would highly recommend it to new grads!
Job Opportunities
Ringle Tutoring
Ringle tutoring is a perfect opportunity if you are looking for a flexible and hassle-free part-time job. Tutors can schedule lessons on their own time and are provided with ALL materials and content for their lessons.
- Earn an average of $180-200 per week by teaching 10 hours (Pay rate: $16-20 for 40-min lesson, $8.5-10.5 for 20-min lesson with additional incentives)
- $100 Level up bonus if you join NOW
- It’s super flexible with NO minimum working hours - You make your own schedule!
- It’s fully remote through the Ringle interface and Zoom
- Ringle provides all the pre-made lesson materials for you
Ringle is seeking talented tutors to join our team! We especially look for tutors with a wide variety of backgrounds and interests from top universities like Yale. If you have native-level fluency in English, please click this link to sign up!