Laboratory Rotation Requirements (PhD)

All PhD students, who hold either a Teaching Assistantship or Fellowship must rotate in 3 labs during their first year of graduate studies in the Department of Biological Sciences.  These rotations can only be in labs that are in the Department of Biological Sciences. The first rotation begins in October, giving students plenty of time to identify laboratories of interest. 

New students should email and meet with faculty that they are interested in rotating with. Once identified, the student must turn in a signed Lab Rotation Selection Form to the Graduate Office. These can be turned in in person or emailed to biology.graduate.office@purdue.edu. Forms must be turned in no later than two weeks prior to the start of the rotation. Once submitted, the Chair of the Graduate Program will verify the lab rotation assignment and the Graduate Coordinator will email the student and advisor once approved. 

Joining a lab is not solely based on an agreement between the student and professor, but MUST be approved by the Chair of the Graduate Program.

At the end of the 2nd semester graduate students need to submit the Lab Placement form to the Graduate Office. The completed form must be signed by both the student and major professor prior to submission. These can be turned in in person or emailed to biology.graduate.office@purdue.edu. Once submitted, the Chair of the Graduate Program will verify the lab assignment and the Graduate Coordinator will email the student and advisor once approved. 

If a student wants to join a lab after 2 rotations, the student will need to submit a request to the BIOL Graduate Office before the start of the next rotation.