Effective as of April 20, 2025
LabLink (“LabLink,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a research opportunity marketplace connecting undergraduate students with faculty researchers. We are currently operating as an unincorporated project and have not yet formed a legal entity. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and protect the personal information you provide when using joinlablink.com (the “Platform”). If you have questions, contact us at support@joinlablink.com.
When you create an account: We collect your legal name, preferred name, institutional email address (.edu required), secondary email (optional), phone number, academic institution, graduation year, major(s), and minor. Researchers additionally provide their role (faculty, postdoc, or graduate student) and an invite code to verify affiliation.
When you submit an application: We collect your GPA, GPA scale, a personal statement explaining your interest in the position, an uploaded resume or CV, your electronic signature and the timestamp of signing, and — for positions with federal funding restrictions — a self-attestation of US citizenship or permanent residency status.
When you post a research listing: We collect your name, institutional affiliation, lab or department, position details, compensation information, and eligibility requirements.
Automatically: We collect standard web server logs including IP addresses, browser type, and pages visited, through our hosting provider Vercel. We use cookie-based sessions to keep you logged in; these cookies do not contain personally identifiable information beyond a session identifier.
We use your information solely to operate the Platform — specifically to display research listings to students, facilitate applications between students and researchers, allow professors to review applicants, send transactional emails (account confirmation, password reset), and improve the Platform's functionality. We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your information for advertising. We do not share your information with third parties except as described in Section 4.
With researchers: When you submit an application, the professor who posted the listing can view your application materials including your name, academic information, personal statement, resume, and attestations. They cannot view your password, secondary email, or phone number.
With students: Research listings are publicly viewable without an account. Professor names, departments, and lab information are visible to all visitors.
Service providers: We use Supabase (database and authentication, SOC 2 Type II certified) and Vercel (hosting) to operate the Platform. These providers process your data on our behalf and are contractually bound to protect it.
Legal requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or to protect the rights and safety of our users or the public.
We do not share your information with any other third parties without your explicit consent.
Your data is stored on Supabase's infrastructure, which is SOC 2 Type II certified and encrypts data at rest and in transit. All connections to the Platform are encrypted via HTTPS. Passwords are hashed using industry-standard algorithms and are never stored in plain text. Access to your data within the Platform is enforced at the database level through row-level security policies, meaning users can only access records they are authorized to view.
While we implement reasonable technical measures to protect your data, no system is completely secure. We encourage you to use a strong, unique password and to log out after each session.
We retain your account information and application history for as long as your account is active or as needed to operate the Platform. If you request account deletion, we will delete or anonymize your personal data within a reasonable time, except where retention is required by law. Uploaded files (resumes, CVs) are stored on Supabase Storage and will be deleted upon account deletion request.
You may request to access, correct, or delete your personal information at any time by contacting us at support@joinlablink.com. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe. You may also update most of your profile information directly through your account settings.
The Platform is intended for use by college and university students and faculty. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under the age of 13. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
We may update this policy as the Platform evolves. Material changes will be communicated by updating the effective date above and, where appropriate, by email notification to registered users.
For questions about this policy or your data: support@joinlablink.com