Northeastern student designs innovative matchmaking program for research labs and undergrads
Applied psychology student Soumya Raguraman is creating an innovative new platform that could reshape Northeastern’s research ecosystem.
OAKLAND – For undergraduate students hoping to secure a future in scientific research, gaining laboratory experience early in their university journeys can feel critical.
The limited availability of spots in many research labs makes the application process highly competitive. Some students whose schedules or areas of expertise aren’t precisely compatible with lab requests can feel like they are jumping over hurdles to find a suitable placement, said Adriana Papadakis, a research coordinator for Northeastern University’s Social Development and Wellbeing Lab.
“Undergrad research experience is so important for the resume. And the actual substance of what you’re doing in the lab is extremely important, too,” she said. “It teaches you so much about what the practicalities of research are, the messiness of it, and you start to see aspects of the process that you didn’t even think of before.”
Soumya Raguraman, who is studying applied psychology on Northeastern’s Boston campus, is seeking to redesign the lab application process throughout Northeastern’s research ecosystem and elsewhere. Her online platform LabMatch, which is still in development, is expected to streamline the system for lab leaders and make it more transparent and equitable for students, she said.
The idea earned her a first-place honor in the Social Impact and Sustainability category of Northeastern’s 2026 Women Who Empower Innovator Awards.
“The goal is to create a third-party platform where PIs (Principal Investigators) can post what they need. Students can sort through that and then, based on [LabMatch’s] recommendations, apply for what they want,” Raguraman, who plans to graduate in 2027, said in an interview. “We want to form connections and allow everyone an opportunity.”
Raguraman said she always knew that she wanted to go into pre-med, an academic track designed to prepare students for admission to medical school. When she asked for advice on the best ways to make herself an attractive candidate, advisors told her she needed clinical, volunteer and research experiences, she said.
She remembers speaking to her peers, some of whom had already secured lab positions through referrals from family members or by spending extended time with Principal Investigators during their office hours. One friend even nabbed a placement at a lab inside a prominent Massachusetts hospital while he was a patient by asking the surgeon who performed his ACL surgery if they had any openings, Raguraman said.
As a first-generation U.S. college student without family ties in academia, and without the ability to take significant time out of her schedule to try to meet in person with PIs, Raguraman felt like sending cold emails was her best option.
She found out about the Russell Women in Science Leadership Scholars Program, a Mills Institute initiative that provides first-year students on the Oakland and Boston campuses with research experience and mentorship. And though she was grateful for the scholarship and thankful that her cold-emailing bore fruit, the experience left Raguraman thinking about the students who may not have known about the opportunity.
When she arrived in Boston and earned additional lab placements, Raguraman said she gained insight into the troubles faced by lab PIs. Some labs were overwhelmed with applications, had limited capacity to respond and had trouble finding the right fit for their projects, she said.
The problem wasn’t a lack of interest, but rather the wrong structure, she said. With the help of a classmate studying computer science and familiar with website design, Raguraman began thinking up a new system.
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The plans for LabMatch include allowing students to create unique profiles with information such as their prior research experience, weekly availability, desired length of commitment and particular interests or relevant areas of expertise, Raguraman said. PIs will be able to display their exact research needs, their lab’s minimum qualifications and the number of available spots, she said.
“One party can look at the other party’s qualifications while also having their own standards and requirements, so that each party can find what they’re looking for,” said Raguraman. “And then we can match them based on their best fit.”
Jared Young, professor of biology and founder of the Young Lab on Northeastern’s Oakland campus, said the platform would be logistically helpful for both students and faculty.
“On the faculty side, it would give us easy access to student profiles, which we don’t currently have. On the student side, this would be especially helpful if the website identifies a timeline on which faculty are seeking undergraduate students,” he said.
Raguraman said many of the PIs at Northeastern have expressed positive feelings about the proposed transparency and time-saving attributes of LabMatch. Some have suggested valuable additions to the site, such as the inclusion of a way for students to perform mandatory laboratory training modules that, upon completion, would appear as a small badge on students’ profiles.
“When she told me more about it, I was very impressed. It’s a great idea,” said Papadakis, who serves as Raguraman’s mentor in her Social Development and Wellbeing Lab position. “It’s really cool that the idea is bottom-up from a student.”
Raguraman said she hopes her platform will give every undergraduate student a better shot at earning a coveted lab position.
“Research is for everyone. It is not an exclusive club,” she said. “If our goal is to help people, it should be accessible to everyone.”
