FANTASTIC TRAINEES ARE THE ENGINES OF OUR LAB!
The Putnam Lab periodically has new research opportunities for talented, hard-working people who have a track record of initiative and ingenuity. We have very high standards and expectations for researchers in our laboratory. PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION BELOW. It is impossible to respond to every single individual request via email, and you are likely to get a much more encouraging response if you are able to follow the directions provided here!
Prospective undergraduate students:
The Putnam Lab has provided research opportunities for more than 30 undergraduates since its inception. Undergraduate students typically work under the guidance of graduate students or fellows. Such students come to the lab via multiple routes, including UROP, SROP, SURP, and by simple persistence. You must maintain a minimum 3.3 GPA. Please contact Dr. Putnam or any active members of the lab regarding current opportunities.
Prospective graduate students:
The Putnam Lab is proud to have been the research home for 16 completed PhDs and 10 completed MS degrees since 2003. If you are interested in joining our group, you MUST first be admitted to one of the following graduate programs: biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, or applied physics. Please apply through the standard Rackham application process (deadline is typically in December). We also welcome student from the MSTP (MD/PhD) and PIBS.
Our ability to recruit new students to the lab depends on the availability of extramural funding. Students with a strong desire to work in our research group should take a proactive role in seeking their own extramural funding, especially through the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). There are numerous other funding mechanisms at UM available for doctoral students, including a number of institutional training grants (T32s) for US citizens and/or permanent residents. Funding opportunities for master’s students are typically much more limited.
The typical time to degree for PhD students in our lab is ~5 years. A list of lab alumni and their post-graduate employment can be found on the ALUMNI page.
Prospective post-doctoral fellows:
March 2023: We are currently recruiting a post-doctoral fellow! The selected candidate will work closely with Dr. Putnam and other members of his group on an NIH-funded project focused on the roles of the extracellular matrix and supportive stromal cells on the formation of functional vasculature. The primary initial responsibility of this individual will be to lead a series of small animal studies to evaluate the functional perfusion of engineered microvasculature. We are particularly interested in both PhD and MD fellows whose expertise can complement our own, specifically in the areas of cell/molecular biology, material synthesis and characterization, and surgery. Please see here for further details.
