Undergraduate students, rotation students, MD/PhD and PhD students: The Papouin lab is affiliated with DBBS program at Washington University. Students interested in joining our lab for a rotation and/or for their Ph.D. can reach out to us directly via email or phone.
European Master Student’s internship: Please describe the expectations from your program regarding the internship, dates and duration, and whether your institution funds you, the travel and the cost of a US Visa. Explain briefly your career plans and, if you want to pursue a PhD, whether you have already secured a lab in your home country or are interested in pursuing a PhD abroad.
Postdocs: We are always looking for postdocs with a strong background in any areas of biology and neuroscience, but particularly in the biology of astrocytes, synaptic physiology, endocrinology, neuromodulation, sleep, or expertise in electrophysiology, calcium imaging, behavior or analytical chemistry. Please reach out to us directly via email if you are interested in joining our lab, and attach a CV or biosketch that includes the contact information of three references. If applicable, please feel free to share with us a quick research statement describing your overall scientific interest, your past and current research accomplishments, your plans for your future research, career goals, and fellowships you intend to apply for.
Tips for all students applying to our lab:
1- Keep your email simple and modest! While you should legitimately feel excited about research opportunities, science, your past and future experiences, or the beginning of your PhD adventure, you cannot possibly have enough to say (yet) to fill a two-page email.
2- Be specific! If you are interested in our lab, there must be a specific reason – and your overall interest in Neuroscience or upcoming application to WashU isn’t one! If you are exploring the (many) research options WashU has to offer, and wonder what our lab is like, just say it! I will be very happy to meet with you (virtually or not) to walk you through what we do and our philosophy, or guide you in finding labs that might best fit your interests.
3- Don’t make stuff up, do your research. We put some effort in compiling a comprehensive but compact website, do your due diligence and look at it. You will quickly learn that we do not work on neurodegenerative diseases or addiction… (tip: use the magic word “abracadabra” in the object line of your email and I’ll know you read this page). Similarly, quoting the title of one of our publications tells us only one thing: you did not read it.
4- State your motivation. With all of the above, you should now be able to phrase clearly your motivation in joining our lab, what you think you would get out of it, and even, maybe, what we would gain from having you.