The Li/Bachman research group benefits from the contributions from students of all levels, from freshmen and sophomore undergraduates to senior graduate students and postdocs. Our focus is on developing strong research and leadership skills in our students within the multi-disciplinary field of integrated micro and nanosystem engineering.
While our research team is currently at near to full capacity, we may be able to find room for bright, motivated students to get involved. Projects change, students come and go, so it is never a bad time to check for research opportunities.
Undergraduate research
Undergraduates wishing to get involved should contact us early in your college career. Research education takes time, and the last six months of your senior year is too late. If you show enthusiasm, aptitude, and maturity, we will consider you for involvement in the group at any year. Plenty of good research has been performed by freshmen. To get involved with the group you should contact Professor Li or Professor Bachman directly. I strongly advise you to come to our offices and talk to us in person. It makes a much better impression than an email.
Undergraduates (and junior graduate students) are assigned to a senior graduate student or research staff to participate in a project. The senior researcher acts as the primary contact for the student, and reports on the student's progress to professors Li and Bachman. We (Li and Bachman) also meet regularly with all our students to discuss research and training issues.
After a given amount of time in the group (3-6 months), undergraduate researchers will be expected to give an oral presentation to the group during our weekly group meetings. This is an important part of your training.
All undergraduate researchers are expected to devote at least 12-15 hrs/week performing work in the laboratory, regardless of which program they are participating in. If you cannot commit to this amount of time, we cannot accept you in the group. Furthermore, we are most interested in students who can commit to several quarters or several years to build up their training.
Undergraduate programs There are several programs available to undergraduates for research. All our undergraduate researchers are treated the same with regard to their laboaratory work, regardless of the program they are under. We make no distinction in the laboratory.
ECE 199: Research course
You get a grade for doing research. Fulfills an elective in engineering. This is NOT an automatic "A". You must prepare a written report at the end of the semester which forms the basis of your grade.Undergraduate research programs (UROP, CODE, CAMP, etc.)
An honors program, often with financial support. We provide the research and guidance for the student in the program. The research program usually requires a written paper and oral presentation.Research assistant (employee)
We sometimes hire undergraduate students to perform certain tasks in the laboratory, such as preparing labware and performing laboratory processes. These positions are rare and require a minimum of a one year commitment to the group. These positions are excellent opportunities since the lab assistants perform a large amount of hands-on work.Volunteer
Volunteers have the same research involvement as other students. There is no advantage or disadvantage to working as a volunteer. And volunteering still carries the same commitment responsibility. Volunteers tend to be the best students since they are in the lab out of a desire to do research--not to fulful other requirements. Volunteers must be full time UCI students.
Graduate research
We hope your graduate career with our group will be one of the most important and rewarding times of your life. We want our graduate students to learn about advanced technology through engaged research in the field of integrated micro and nanosystems. Equally important, we also want you to learn about the nature of advanced research, such as leadership, project management, team building, and communication.
New graduate students wishing to get involved should contact us as soon as possible. We accept only a limited number of new graduate students every year. We rarely offer any guarantee to any student regarding a commitment to a research appointment before we have had a chance to work with the student.
As a general rule, we do not provide financial support for first year graduate students. Furthermore, we do not commit to advisement until we have had an opportunity to work with you for 3-6 months. For students pursuing a Masters degree, we expect all our graduate students to write a Masters thesis based on research performed in our laboratory. A Masters program typically takes 1-2 years.
Junior graduate students are assigned to a senior graduate student or research staff to participate in a project. The senior researcher acts as the primary contact for the student, and reports on the student's progress to professors Li and Bachman. We (Li and Bachman) also meet regularly with all our students to discuss research and training issues. This period is a trial period for the student. You can find out about our research style and see if you feel comfortable in the group. It is also a period for us to determine if you will work out as part of the team.
Graduate students in good standing who have demonstrated that they are capable of leading a research program will be invited to stay and be assigned a project. Each graduate student is responsible for his or her own project and expected to take a leadership role in making the project succeed. After the first year, we may consider providing additional financial support for the student, depending on the nature and status of funding.
If you wish to consider continuing in a doctoral program, we will discuss your options and our recommendations as you complete your Masters program. Not all students should pursue a doctoral program--it is primarily a program for training researchers, and not always the best career move. A wrong decision at this point can have unpleasant emotional consequences, and can take away productive years from your career development. We support all our doctoral students financially, and we expect them to take leadership roles in the research group.