Thank you for your interest in our research and training environment! We are fortunate to attract outstanding scholars from many disciplines. An independently authored and concise email to Landon describing why you are interested in the lab and what you aim to gain from a research experience is the first step in applying. The more specific the message the better! Please carefully read our comments below and The Lab's statement on generative artificial intelligence before reaching out.

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Here are a few tips to help navigate the application process for scientists at different career stages. In all cases, please use an institutional email for contact, otherwise your message may not make it to Landon's inbox:

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1. Prospective undergraduate students:

- We prioritize students in Pharmacology, Chemistry, and Immunology programs in the second half of their degrees (3rd/4th years)

- We do not host volunteers; please apply as a project course student or through a scholarship opportunity (inquire with your home department for details)

- Please attach up-to-date copies of your academic transcript and CV

- Including a description of your future career goals is very helpful

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2. Prospective graduate students:

- Please note that Landon does not have the ability to grant entry into any graduate program. This critical step is executed through The University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies. That being said, Landon is happy to discuss potential opportunities in advance of a formal application.

- We host students through graduate programs in Pharmacology & Toxicology, Chemistry, and Immunology

- In general, we prioritize applicants that plan to pursue a Ph.D. degree, although we strongly encourage entry as an M.Sc. student with the potential to switch to the Ph.D. program in the first 1-2 years

- Including a description of your future career goals is very helpful

- Apply early and consider scholarship opportunities!

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3. Prospective postdoctoral scientists:

- Please include a brief statement on an independent project that leverages your extensive Ph.D. training and synergizes with our research program

- Highlight relevant fellowship opportunities

- Including a description of your future career goals is very helpful

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In all cases, it is helpful if you indicate in the subject line of your email that you have reviewed this section of the group website (i.e. include the text string 'I reviewed the group website').

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Statement on Generative Artificial Intelligence:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning is changing the way we access and process information. For example, The Edgar Lab has found that certain aspects of AI are making thorough literature searches easier, which can help us identify gaps in our knowledge.

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While there absolutely are myriad applications for AI in scientific workflows – many of which we expect will be integrated into our research program in the coming years – we want to take this opportunity to highlight an example of when AI is not appropriate: the research group admissions process. A reason we are writing about this now is that few labs have set actual policy on the use of AI. Our goal here is to make sure that all prospective lab members receive the same information on this topic. Please note that the policy described here only applies to The Edgar Lab – we cannot speak for other research groups.

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This past academic cycle, we have found that the majority of emails received from prospective undergraduate and graduate students looking to join the lab have been written either entirely or in part by Generative AI (GAI). We also have reason to believe that many personal statements from graduate applicants were also produced through GAI. One of the ways we know this is that the messages written by GAI are all very similar – this makes detection rather straightforward.

While there is nothing inherently wrong with using GAI to craft an email, using it for first contact with a potential research/thesis advisor is not a good plan. Here are three reasons why we have this opinion:

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1. Learning to write is a critical part of scientific education. As such, we need to evaluate if a prospective student can write in a coherent and scholarly manner. An email or personal statement can be a good way of evaluating this skillset. To be clear, we are not expecting perfect scholarly writing at this stage – what we need to know is the ground truth proficiency of the candidate to understand what they might need to succeed should they join the group. We cannot make this call if GAI is used for communication. Should a candidate join the lab, they will not be permitted to use GAI when authoring manuscripts, assignments, etc. – this makes writing proficiency indispensable.

2. While GAI can summarize complex scientific literature, it does not (yet) do a very good job. The language produced by GAI is often vague and does not provide new insight into the work. If a candidate is serious about joining the lab, it is very important they review some of our publications to ensure the subject matter is actually of interest to them. A great way of demonstrating that a candidate has reviewed our work is for them to ask probing questions about what was done or what we might do next. Specifics here are important! Using GAI to summarize this group website or one of our papers does not produce this result.

3. Most importantly, using GAI (especially in the context of point 2 above) robs students of the opportunity to think critically about complex topics. This is the single most important attribute that we look for when recruiting. Even if a candidate did take the time to read and digest some of our research, using GAI to write about it to us is unlikely to be convincing.​

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While the above comments are relevant for all prospective trainees, we would stress that they are even more critical for those seeking a Ph.D. position. Pursuing a doctorate is typically (at least) a five-year commitment. If a candidate does not take the time to read papers from the lab and craft a thoughtful message to their potential thesis advisor, then they are potentially committing to a long-term scenario without carefully considering if it is the right fit.

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Edgar Lab policy on messages written with GAI: Given the volume of messages we are now receiving from prospective researchers, our policy is to not respond to messages that have likely been written by GAI or are sufficiently vague as to make us suspect GAI may have been used. Please note that even using GAI to ‘polish’ authentically authored text can undermine the original meaning. We strongly recommend asking a colleague to read over messages should polishing be desired. The University of Toronto also delivers writing workshops that may also be excellent resources for this in settings where a candidate is currently at our institution.

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The single best way to maximize chances of success when applying to The Edgar Lab is to be authentic, honest, and specific. Read some of our publications and ask questions. What was exciting? What wasn’t clear? What aspects of the research we do are most attractive for a short- or long-term research project? We want to know what you think.