PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS:
PhD Students: I generally accept 1-3 graduate students per year into my laboratory and welcome your interest in my lab. Applications for admission to PhD programs for fall term 2018 are due in December, through departmental websites. I will know the status of possible projects in Spring, 2018. If you are applying to the Biological Engineering graduate program, you can ask to meet with me during the visit weekend in March, when we interview prospective students. If you are admitted to Mechanical Engineering and want to discuss my lab before making a decision about attending MIT, please send me a note and we can arrange to meet during the ME visit weekend or some other time. It is not necessary to contact me before or during the admissions process, as I do not have influence over admissions decisions and cannot give you feedback on your probability of being admitted. Admissions decisions are made by departmental admissions committees based on the entire pool of applicants.
Many ME students carry out Master’s degree work prior to pursuing the PhD. I sometimes co-supervise such students, usually in collaboration with other ME faculty.
External Master’s Students: The lab has hosted several master’s students from EPFL and other schools. Master’s students must be able to spend at least 9 months on a project, and provide their own funding support. I do not have funding for non-MIT Master’s students.
Undergraduate Students and Summer Interns: MIT UROP students are typically matched through graduate students and postdocs in the lab, often facilitated by Prof. Griffith. Except in unusual circumstances, undergraduates are expected to work in the lab at least one term for credit before applying for paid UROP, especially for summer positions. The lab hosts non-MIT students in the summer through several programs including the EBICS REU, the Amgen Scholars program, and the MIT MSRP program, all of which provide a stipend, assistance with housing, and structured professional development activities. I receive at least 100 requests per year for internships from abroad, and am unable to host students unless they have highly relevant prior training, stay at least 9 months, and have an external source of funding.
High School Students: The lab occasionally hosts high school students, though capacity is limited by high administrative barriers: due to legal requirements, high school students must have a senior lab member by their side in lab at all times. There are occasional projects suitable for high school students, however, availability of such projects varies a lot. We wish we could host more but – lawyers!