University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Research Associate II Adam Saleh presented for the Students Pursuing Action, Research, and Knowledge (SPARK) club about his experience at UIC on February 17, 2025. Saleh spoke in detail about his own research experience at UIC, providing students of all levels insight into applying and interviewing for research positions. He also discussed the two studies he is currently involved in at UIC, as well as a previous poster he co-authored with his principal investigator (PI) and colleagues
An important part of Saleh’s presentation was how he ended up with the opportunity. Having taken classes at UIC, he found that the types of labs often done in classrooms were not research tasks he would want to do. He said during his presentation, “So, I was totally gonna give up just because I thought research is just being in the laboratory.” But it was a professor who told him about the different types of research. Recalling that discussion, Saleh said, “There’s also clinical research, there’s physics research, business research. There’s Political Science research. Research is one term that encompasses all fields.”
One key part of Saleh’s presentation was the emphasis on talking to professors, “I think that essentially I have the ability to not be afraid of asking for help or asking for advice or asking for opportunities. Just simply, I just go up to the professor and say, hey, do you have any opportunities for you? I’m interested in X, Y and Z. And the worst thing is they can say no.”
Saleh pointed out, “So, say you’re in biochemistry with Dr. Stern or Cell Biology with Dr. Voisine. These people are PhD prepared doctors. So you would just contact them and say, hey, I’m interested in research.” And through talking to professors, Saleh started his research as a research assistant in a Type 1 Diabetes clinical sleep study, where he gained experience and promotions, leading to the opportunity to join a new Type 1 Diabetes study that has a focus on cardiology.
Saleh suggested not only talking to NEIU professors, but to reach out to other places that conduct research. He suggested looking at Northwestern University, Rush University, UIC, and beyond. He shared a link that all students interested in research can look at: ure.uic.edu. They accept all university students, not only UIC students, and could be an opportunity for students who wish to start research to participate. But he made sure to emphasize talking to the professors individually to find out if they had an opening in their research for the student to join.
For students who want to learn more about doing research, they can reach out to the SPARK club or visit the Student Center for Science Engagement (SCSE) in BBH 247. The SPARK club tries to connect students with opportunities for research in their field. With several other events during the Spring semester to help students find internships. Another option is to go to SCSE for advising, where they have walk in hours on Mondays and Tuesdays 3pm to 5pm or by appointment where the advisors Laura West (l-west2@neiu.edu) and Luke Devereux(L-Devereux@neiu.edu) can help students go through the process of finding and applying for internships.
