PhD Thesis: Searching for the Right Lab

[fufu]

So, I've been very busy shopping around for labs to apply to for my Phd thesis. Last week I went to a conference where I heard a talk on a new discovery that really captured me and made me want to to my thesis work there. I looked the guy up and it turns out, he's from one of the top tier American universities. And here's where the problems start. I have close to zero chance of getting into that program. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a bad student. I'm standing on solid ground, with good grades (and a few shortcomings in my educational history), but I'm far enough from being outstanding enough to not even consider applying there.

So I've been looking around for labs that work on similar topics, but haven't had any luck so far. I'm also not able to find any information of collaborations or some such things on the net.
Well, I'm ready to move on and look for something else, but I thought if I laid it all out on here, maybe one of the smart PF members would have another suggestion what to do.

?

Thanks!

 

[cristo]

Well, what field are you interested in? What research does the guy who gave you the talk do?

 

[robphy]

Can you look up his collaborators and his past students? friendly competitors?
Is there a nearby institution?