Lab Rotations

General Information

Incoming QSB PhD students on the rotation track will work in three different faculty labs and choose their final faculty advisor in March of their first year. Rotating in different labs can be an exciting yet daunting adventure. We are here to support you however we can throughout the process.

Rotations provide a student a flavor of what it is like to be in the host lab. In some cases, students will have specific projects assigned to them, in other cases they will simply be integrated into lab activities (e.g., attending lab meetings, meetings with advisors, etc.). The goal is for both you and the advisor to assess if it is a good fit.

All rotation students serve as TAs, unless they have their own internal or external fellowship support. Students typically enroll in 3-6 units of QSB 288 (rotation research) each semester with the QSB Grad Chair. To request the CRN, fill out this Independent Study Enrollment form, and you’ll receive the CRN in 3-5 business days from the Registrar.

Rotation Dates (AY26-27)

Two rotations occur during the first semester, and a third rotation occurs at the beginning of the second semester. Each rotation is 7-8 weeks long, and all rotation students must complete three rotations.

For AY26-27. rotations will be:

  • Rotation 1: August 27th - October 17th
  • Rotation 2: October 20th - December 12th
  • Rotation 3: January 20th - March 13th

The dates for rotation 2 and 3 are tentative - if changed, QSB Staff will notify rotation students in advance. 

Rotation To-Do List

Each rotation is arranged by the student with individual faculty members. Discussions are done with potential first rotation advisors during GROW week (beginning August 15th). Your choices are due to us on August 22nd (one week later, we will send you a survey to fill out.) Don’t fret if someone you are interested in is your second or third rotation. Second and third rotation choices should be discussed with potential advisors the week prior to their start dates - you will receive further guidance at that time.

When contacting faculty for a potential lab rotation, we recommend reading their latest publications to see if their work is something that interests you (talk about that interest when you contact them.) You should also look at the faculty’s lab page and see what other graduate students in their lab are researching. You can view the QSB faculty here.

Date Task to Complete
2 weeks before rotations start
  • Evaluate your most recent rotation (if applicable), determine if that lab was a good fit
  • Review the QSB faculty list to gather ideas on who you'll rotate with next
1 week before rotations start
  • Contact and/or meet with faculty to finalize who you will rotate with in the upcoming rotation
  • Submit the Rotation Declaration Webform to formally notify QSB of your rotation choice
2-3 days before rotations start
  • Wait for an email from QSB Staff confirming your rotation choice and that your CatCard access has been updated

Next Steps After All Rotations Finish

Students must choose a thesis advisor by March 20th, 2027. We will send you the webform link to declare your final advisor. This decision must be mutual - that is, both the student and the advisor must agree that the student will join the target lab.          

If by this time a first-year rotation student has not identified an advisor, the student will be put on Notice of Potentially Unsatisfactory Degree Progress and be granted one additional rotation period to find a lab or to change degree objective (possibly to a coursework-based Master’s degree), or be disqualified from QSB. A fourth rotation is done to aid in this process. Typically all students are paired with an advisor by the end of the Spring semester.

This page was last updated 7/14/2026.