Where to Look for Research

Department Websites

Generally, the best place to start is your department website. Whether that be aerospace engineering, chemistry, or computer science, there will almost always be a page dedicated to showing off the research that the department does. Here, you should be able to find a list of all the professors and the research that they do. Below is a list of some research pages for department websites.

Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

Aerospace Engineering

Physics

Lab Group Websites

A lot of times, a principle investigator (PI) will also have a separate website dedicated to their research group. You can usually find these through UIUC websites. The group website will usually have news about recent papers and awards won by the group as well as all of the graduate students and the projects they’re working on, which you can talk about in your initial email to them.

Sometimes, a group website will also have a page with instructions on how to join the lab. Following these instructions on how to inquire about a position in the lab (what to put in the subject line, what to attach, etc.) will increase your chances of the professor emailing you back.