<p>So, I am applying now in May to the postbac IRTA program at NIH and am done writing the cover letters, but I wanted to know if I should include my PIs of interest or PIs whose work I have followed due to my interests on the cover letter. What specifically on the cover letter are they looking for? Is it my experience, or what would I gain from it to very detail or just in general what I am looking for? For instance, I love studying regulatory pathways and conducting KO studies. So, should it be to that detail; or even more? My current PI in the university mentioned about stating labs of interest in my cover letter. Should I do that on the cover letter?</p>
<p>Yes, you should absolutely include labs/PIs of interest in your cover letter.</p>
<p>The cover letter should be fairly brief and general, because interested PIs can always look more closely at your application as a whole, but many of them will be using the content of cover letters to decide which applicants deserve a closer look. </p>
<p>I don’t know how much it really matters, because after submitting the application you should be contacting PIs/labs directly to inform them of your interest (and existence) anyway.</p>