Undergraduate
Interested in joining as an undergraduate?
We welcome undergraduates from diverse majors and who possess all levels and depths of background knowledge. Most undergraduates start as volunteers; some have earned academic credit or pay through the Office of Undergraduate Research. Students are paired with a graduate student mentor in the lab and are expected to maintain weekly hours. If you are an undergrad interested in joining the lab, please email your resume or CV to michaelson-lab@uiowa.edu.
What research can undergraduates do?
Computational work
This work requires a basic understanding of the R programming language (data manipulation, plotting, regression, etc.) and an ability to run command line tools commonly used in genetics research. Students who help with computational work typically (but not always) major in computer science, biomedical engineering, and statistics.
Human subjects research
Our research team includes a number of undergraduate students who help us recruit, collect, and enter data. Undergraduate students typically obtain direct experience with children and adults with and without neurodevelopmental conditions. Students who help with human subjects research typically (but not always) major in psychology, speech and hearing science, and more.
Wet lab and benchwork
Undergraduates gain experience with sequencing lab work, including DNA extraction, quantification, and library preparation. Students who help with wet lab activities typically (but not always) major in biology, chemistry, and biochemistry.
Started here: Ethan Bahl joined as an undergraduate RA and went on to a PhD in the lab. Courtney Ries on the Michaelson Lab and life afterwards
Graduate student
Interested in joining as a graduate student?
Trainees in our lab usually have a background in genetics and a strong interest in using high-performance computing to understand genome biology. If you are interested in joining the lab as a graduate student or a postdoctoral researcher, please email your CV to jacob-michaelson@uiowa.edu.
Graduate students in our lab are typically affiliated with the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics. This program, established over 45 years ago, trains students in the frontiers of genetics research and develops leaders that meet the upcoming challenges in the field of genetics.
Recent PhDs from the lab
- Muhammad Elsadany: neuroimaging and cognitive/language phenotypes; now at Regeneron
- Lucas Casten: genetics of human uniqueness; now a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry
- Taylor R. Thomas: genetics of autism and gender diversity
- Tanner Koomar: genetics of language
Postdoc
Interested in joining as a postdoctoral researcher?
Trainees in our lab usually have a background in genetics and a strong interest in using high-performance computing to understand genome biology. If you are interested in joining the lab as a graduate student or a postdoctoral researcher, please email your CV to jacob-michaelson@uiowa.edu.
Postdoctoral trainees
- Benjamin A. Kelvington, PhD: molecular mechanisms of learning and memory
- Grace Kim, MD, PhD: autism and sleep (INSPIRE fellow)
