0

When applying for a postdoc position, it makes sense to write something like this in the cover letter:

Dear Professor NAME. I am writing to apply for POSITION in your lab

What I'm stuck on, is that a cover letter is a formal letter, so should be written in a formal register. However, the word "lab" is an abbreviation and so inherently informal, which makes it seem wrong. On the other hand "laboratory" sounds even more wrong because no-one says "at my laboratory" in speech.

Is the word "lab" appropriate in this context?

1
  • Abbreviations aren't inherently informal. Aug 23, 2020 at 16:34

1 Answer 1

9

I agree with you that both lab and laboratory don't sound good. Maybe you could use "group" instead?

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .