How to Find a Mentor

Finding a research mentor begins with exploring the work being done across the university and identifying faculty whose interests align with your own. Learning about their research areas, current projects, and scholarly focus helps you understand where your goals may connect with ongoing work, while reaching out to potential mentors opens the door to conversations about expectations and opportunities within a project. Establishing this connection early supports a more informed entry into undergraduate research and helps students engage in work that aligns with their academic and professional development.

Utilize the NCAT Faculty Profiles page to discover who is doing work that matches your interests.

  1. Go to: profiles.ncat.edu
  2. Type in keywords related to your interests
    • Ex. "Microbiology", "robotics", "mental health", "AI"
  3. Click through faculty profiles that appear in the results
  4. On each profile, review their biography, scholarship & creative expression, and fingerprint
    • Biography: read about the faculty mentor's educational background
    • Scholarship & Creative Expression: skim over their recent publications to gain an understanding of their current work
    • Fingerprint: Explore their active research topics
  5. You can also explore North Carolina A&T Research Centers and Institutes to find university research that aligns with your interests.

Before you reach out to anyone, connect your curiosity to their work.
  • Reflect on your interests and ask yourself:
  • What topics naturally grab your attention?
  • Ex. Social justice, sports, health, music trends
  • What problems in the world do you care about?
  • Ex. Voter participation, public safety, sickle-cell anemia, AI ethics
  • What skills do you want to learn in college?
  • Ex. Coding, project design, scholarly writing 

Once you have found a professor whose work aligns with your interests, you should reach out expressing your desire to work with them.

Your email should be:

  • Short and professional
  • Specific to their work
  • Clear about your interest and next steps

Details to include:

  • Name, major, classification
  • Your reason for emailing
  • Reference a specific topic or project from their profile
  • What you have to offer
  • Previous research experience/research courses you've taken
  • 1 to 2 skills that show you are reliable and eager to learn
  • Ask if they are accepting students to work with them and/or if you can meet to learn about any potential opportunities