The following research statement is written by a post-doctoral fellow who got accepted to several top post-doc programs in the US. Variations of this research statement got accepted at Johns Hopkins, and Rutgers. Read it to understand what a top research statement should look like.

Example Research Statement

For my MS thesis, I chose to study the role of interferon regulatory proteins sub-family (sub-family IRF1, IRF3, IRF4) in providing an antiviral defense mechanism in Cyprinus carpio. My supervisor, who was extremely helpful and supportive, was impressed by my love for molecular biology and went out of his way to ensure the provision of the resources I needed despite the constraints imposed by a minimal departmental budget.

Encouraged by his confidence in me, I worked tirelessly and won his appreciation at every stage of the project. The idea was to observe the expression of these antiviral proteins in their natural state and healthy conditions and later sequencing of isolated genes. I was the principal investigator and assumed full responsibility for this project, which I completed on my own, with little help from anyone else.

Extending the research to gene sequencing was my idea. Results indicated that the expression for these factors was higher in lymphomyeloid organs (liver, spleen, head kidney) than in other organs. Under natural conditions, fish is susceptible to viral attacks; therefore, these proteins are synthesized continuously. Techniques I learned during this project were cDNA synthesis, gene cloning, stoichiometric calculation, and formulation of buffer solution. Apparatuses I learned to operate were Laminar flow, Centrifugation machines, Q-cyclers, Gel documentation unit Electrophoresis system, Incubators, and water Distillation Plant. I have written a paper based on my research and have recently submitted it to a peer-reviewed academic journal. I will try to exploit this research to produce IFN vaccines in future projects. Due to this, the work of Dr. Denis Burton and Dr. Peter K. Vogt is especially pertinent to my own.

Soon afterward, I started working on a project to isolate tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) from Labeo rohita with three BS (Hons.) students. I was assigned the responsibility of training them in techniques I had learned previously. Our results showed an elevated level of TNF gene expression in Labeo rohita under natural conditions.

I interned at PINUM Cancer hospital, which allowed me to work in their most sensitive labs. For two months, I got training in all of their labs on a rotational basis. I was assigned many different duties, prepared weekly lecture presentations on cancerous disorders, and learned various techniques ranging from micro pipetting to operating a Gamma camera. However, the most exciting part of the program was the one-week visit to the radiology lab, where experts familiarized me with the concepts and apparatus of radiation physics for treating malignancies with nuclear medicines.

PINUM is one of the eighteen medical centers of the Atomic Energy Commission. While gathering data about Egyptian mummies and reading about curse diseases, I initially dismissed PINUM as a perverse form of fictional beauty. Microorganisms have been close partners of human beings for centuries. However, while reading the paper “Pharaohs and Mummies: Diseases of Ancient Egypt and Modern Approaches,” I appreciated the enduring nature of Mycobacterium and concluded that certain diseases are ‘curses’ because they run in species and from which they are challenging to sunder. This drew my interest in a project involving documenting certain hereditary diseases in the local population.

While at PINUM, I gathered data for all the diabetes patients who had visited this cancer hospital since its inception. I focused primarily on autoimmunity in the onset of Diabetes Type I while regulatory T cells lay destitute. The inexplicable role of the immune cells, which are silent during the transformation of benign cells to tumor cells due to angiogenesis and facilitate the activity of cytotoxic and helper T cells to kill beta cells for the onset of Diabetes, was undoubtedly mysterious. In this whole scenario, the inability of regulatory T-cells to cope with the situation would be my future line of research.

I also worked on an epidemiology project, “Genetic epidemiological studies on hearing loss.” I visited several deaf families and various special schools to trace this autosomal recessive trait which runs primarily in families in the population. The study proved to be very effective. A considerable amount of data was gathered under the rubrics of incidence, prevalence, disease pattern, and etiology of non-syndromic congenital deafness. Twenty-two families were selected for pedigree analysis, traced to 5 or more generations, and statistical models (Chi-Square test and F-value) were applied.

This was a unique study conducted in the city. Of 436 affected deaf cases, 55% were males, and the rest were females. The urban population (79.58%) was more affected than the rural population (20.41%). Mean maternal and paternal marriage age was 20.63 ± 0.163 and 24.989 ± 0.217, respectively, with more minor (0-4 years) marriage age differences. First (24.54%) and second (22.24%) birth orders showed a maximum number of deaf patients. The offspring of first-cousin marriages (67.66%) had significantly higher congenital hearing loss affliction than unrelated couples, as demonstrated by consanguineous studies.

An autosomal recessive mode of inheritance was observed in twenty-two affected families. Pedigrees were drawn for those families for up to five generations. To extend this study, I assembled a research proposal on “TRIC gene mutation and additional health risk factors associated with congenital deafness” for selected families. Still, I could not pursue it due to a lack of a specific experimental setup for this study. Instead, I summarized the whole study in a research paper published this year.

Back at my lab, I started working with two Ph.D. students on an expression profile study of MHC class II from Cyprinus carpio. These antigenic molecules are expressed naturally by dendritic phagocytes, B cells, and T cells upon encountering certain microbes, especially bacteria, mainly if inflammation is already present. The paper by Dr. Oktay Kirak titled “Ubiquitin-dependent control of class II MHC localization is dispensable for antigen presentation and antibody production” helped in a deeper understanding of these molecules. Therefore, I want to work with him if given a chance.

I also worked in collaboration with the anatomy department on a project involving changes in the hormonal, metabolic, and hematological responses of foals under stress. My duties included collecting blood samples and determining hematological parameters (no platelets, neutrophile lymphocyte ratio) using the automated hematology system and hormonal (ACTH, plasma cortisol, and noradrenaline levels) parameters. Using test kits, serum activities of alkaline phosphatase (AP) and gamma-glutamyltransferase concentrations of cholesterol and triglycerides were determined with a spectrophotometer. In addition, test kits measured serum cortisol levels and thyroxin (T4) with enzyme immunoassay. Inconsistent results were observed for different parameters, but overall abrupt changes were observed due to stress involved in pre-and post-weaning periods. For future research lines, I proposed the idea of a specific biochemical marker used to predict the effects of stress on bone metabolism. Next, I composed a research article on this project published last year in the US Veterinary Journal.

Additionally, I worked on a field + lab work project for my M.Sc. degree for seven months. I completed this project at two different universities and under two other supervisors. A monoculture experiment was carried out on Common carp (Cyprinus carpio Ham.) to evaluate the growth performance in terms of average body weight, specific growth rate, and total fish production of these fishes for seven months. The ponds were supplemented with 0.2 g N/100 g body weight fertilizer and supplementary feed, the sources of which were different. As a result, common carp showed maximum body weight (1119.0 g) in cow manure + nitrophenols + additional feed. In addition, physico-chemical parameters like total alkalinity, carbonates, bicarbonates, total dissolved solids, and dissolved oxygen were evaluated by using standard chemical methods in the lab. I have prepared a research paper on this project and am now revising it for publication.

During a two-month internship through the Department of Zoology and Fisheries, I developed my own artificial aquarium system to check the impact of salinity level on the development of two Chinese carps (Ctenopharyngodon idella, Cirrhinus mrigala). Different salinity levels affect the fish in various ways, but the fish were unable to survive under treatment at the highest salinity levels (3300 ppm). In addition, I learned many techniques for producing hybrid fish, artificial spawning, and fish artificial feed formulation.

Things were never easy: the lack of resources and the depreciative attitude adopted toward researchers can be daunting. Nonetheless, I tried to avail every possible research opportunity, even if it meant doing many things on my own for the first time, without mentoring or guidance, like applying BLAST or arranging partial sequences of my results, later authenticated by CEMB. I worked consistently 12 hours, seven days a week, often alone in the lab. Once, I encountered a heated-lid problem – an issue that I resolved personally by consulting online with a senior scientist Mr. Steve Bird from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. When my department failed to provide me with liquid Ampicillin to grow resistant colonies, I obtained a small quantity of it personally from the Industrial Biotechnology Department using a special written request to the Dean. I dealt with a very meager amount afterward. On every research project I have done, I always worked with unstinting dedication, resourcefulness, and a sense of responsibility.

My dedication to research never isolated me from the humanity I wish to serve. I frequently volunteered at Mayo Clinic to help work on the collection of blood samples from lung cancer patients for a research project. I used to talk to patients about their diagnoses, onset, reasons, and problems in the hospital. The impoverished condition of many patients further strengthened my aim to pursue multi-dimensional cancer research, which would not have been possible in the impersonal atmosphere of a research lab. In the same way, despite my busy routine, I voluntarily coached local school children in calligraphy for seven months.

My research experience, therefore, is considerable and diverse: it encompasses a one-year MS thesis project, a 7-month BS thesis project, one seven month of epidemiology project, two four months of fish immunology projects, another six months of hematology project, two months of internship, and one three months internship, four seminars, one poster. In addition, I presented a paper at the Congress of Zoology and have already published two research articles, with another on the way, one under review by my advisor. Therefore, I sincerely hope I have proven that I am a qualified, well-trained, and dedicated researcher who would be an asset to your institution.