Choosing a Research Mentor & Thesis Project

A list of faculty members and their areas of research is available online at the Community of Science (COS) website. You may browse the Faculty Research Directory or search by keywords or by individuals listed in each department. This website may be accessed only from a Yale computer or via a remote access proxy connection.

Dr. Forrest, Director of the Office of Student Research, is available to discuss options with individual students by appointment. After deciding upon the area of general interest, the student should check with members of the faculty in both the basic and clinical sciences who are working in that field. After appropriate discussions with several potential mentors, the student should choose the faculty member with whom he/she wishes to work. Although it is not necessary that the idea for the thesis originate with the student, it is necessary that the work be his/her own. The student can work as a member of a group project only if the student’s contribution is carried out on an independent basis. Dissertations written jointly by two or more students are not acceptable. Most Yale M.D. theses average 40-80 pages of text. A minimum of 30 pages of text excluding figures, legends and references is required. In planning a project it should be clear that the prime goal is to learn the scientific method and not necessarily publish a paper. The faculty member should make every effort to orient the student to a practical problem that can be fulfilled within the available time.

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