A. Research credit application

Students can apply for research credits in their Sophomore, Junior and/or Senior years. To apply for research credits, students should:

1. have completed Biology 115/116 and have a CBN GPA of 2.8 (CBN GPA can be found on the Degree Navigator page under CBN major)
2. have a sponsoring research faculty mentor (see Section C below to browse through lab links). The sponsoring faculty member has to be affiliated with either RWJMS or Rutgers and engages in basic science research in cell biology and/or neuroscience) Links to Rutgers labs can be found here
3. write a 1-2 page research proposal outlining the research work to be performed by the student
4. complete the appropriate research application form (fillable PDF) with the research mentor:

Sophomores  146:201 & 202 (Fall & Spring)
Juniors:  146:307 & 308 (Fall & Spring)
Seniors:  146:406 & 407 (Fall & Spring)
Honors:  146:408 & 409 (Fall & Spring)


(CBN Seniors with a CBN GPA of 3.4 or above can apply for Honors track (track B) in their Senior year. Students engaging in Honors research are expected to sign up for 3 credits of research per semester in their Senior year. CBN Honors students are required to complete a written thesis, defend their thesis, participate in CBN Honors poster colloquium and take Honors seminar in their Senior year)

5. email the research proposal and the completed research application form to Dr. Shu C. Hsu (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) for approval

B. Research credit requirement

To receive CBN research credits, students must

1. engage in “wet lab” research approved by the CBN department. Hospital volunteering studies and clinical internships are not accepted. Students cannot receive both ARESTY and CBN research credits for the same research.
2. carry out 4-5 hours of research/week for each research credit. For example:

1 credit = 4-5 hours research/week
2 credits = 8-10 hours research/week
3 credits = 12-15 hours research/week

3. write a 5-7 page progress report for Sophomore research (146:201-202) and a 10 page report for Junior and Senior research (146:307, 308, 406, and 407). For honors research, a 10-page progress report is due in Fall and a 30-page Honors thesis is due in Spring
4. submit the written progress report to both the faculty research mentor AND the designated course Sakai sites on the last class day of the semester. The Honors thesis is due in March.

C. Look for research labs

The first step in conducting independent research is to find a sponsoring lab. Here are two good pages with advice about finding a research lab:

Cell Biology and Neuroscience Seminars
Aresty research page
Professors Recruiting New Research Assistants
Funding Opportunities 

We also recommend attending research seminars in order meet people actively involved in research at Rutgers:

Cell Biology and Neuroscience Seminars
Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Seminars
Genetics Seminars

The following web sites also contain information about faculty research interests:

Department of Cell Biology and NeuroscienceDepartment of Cell Biology and Neuroscience
Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience
Graduate Program in Neuroscience
Rutgers Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Department of Genetics
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
Aresty Center
Waksman Institute
Rutgers Center for Quantitative Biology
Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine