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A student’s guide to undergraduate research

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Originally written by Shiwei Wang for Nature journal in March 2019.

Participating in original research during your undergraduate studies can greatly expand your learning experience. However, finding the project can be a challenging task, so here’s a short but comprehensive guide that can help you get the most out of an undergraduate research opportunity.

Choose the right lab

Learn to think like a scientist. A lot of people start their undergraduate research by glancing at the faculty list and e-mailing multiple professors whose work seems interesting. Although this might get you a position somewhere, it is not the most effective approach. Before looking at labs, dive into the science to find out which areas fascinate you. Read a lot, go to talks, and talk to your professors not just about their classes, but about science in general as well.

Subscribe to e-mail newsletters from journals such as Nature and Science. Try to read research highlights and science news regularly. Podcasts and articles by, for example, Nature, Science, Scientific American or Quanta can also be interesting sources of information. Follow academics, journals and universities on Twitter. Start your undergraduate research by learning more about science, thinking like a scientist and working out what you love.

Look for questions, not subjects. You might have chosen a major to study, but don’t let this limit your search for research labs. Modern labs are interdisciplinary and very different from what you do in undergrad labs. Instead of limiting your search to your department, try to look at labs in all related departments. Choose labs on the basis of the questions they’re trying to answer.

Mentoring is as important as research. Contact group members to learn about your prospective laboratory’s environment. Are the group members close? Is the lab friendly or competitive and condescending? Is the lab head hands-off or hands-on? The size of the group is also important. If you join a small group, you’ll have a higher chance of being mentored directly by your principal investigator, whereas in a big group, you are more likely to be mentored by a postdoctoral researcher or graduate student.

Reach out with confidence. Once you’ve determined that the research programme interests you and the group dynamic is healthy, send the principal investigator an e-mail. Make sure to explain why you’re interested in working in the lab and that you have spoken to other lab members. Be patient if they don’t reply. If you don’t receive a response after a week or so, send a second e-mail or reach out in other ways, such as by asking group members to enquire for you.

Get the most out of the experience

Start your research with reading, and keep on reading. Usually, the principal investigator will assign you a mentor and a project. Ask for literature to read: learning about the state of the field and why the work is important will help you to push the project forward. Read about your field as well as other, totally unrelated fields. As an undergraduate, you have the freedom to change your major and your future plans. Make sure to strike a balance between reading and conducting experiments. It’s hard to do both at the same time, but it will make you a better scientist.

Set specific goals for yourself and let your mentors know. Think about what you want from your research and how much time you are willing to put in. Besides learning the techniques, do you want to learn how to analyse results and design experiments? Do you want to learn how to write proposals by applying for undergraduate research grants? Do you want to improve your presentation skills by going to conferences? Do you want to potentially finish a project for publication? Working out what you want to achieve will help you to direct your time effectively.

Research takes time. Don’t blame yourself if experiments don’t work or the project is not moving forward as fast as you expected. Science is about failing and trying again. Getting used to and coping with frustration is part of the learning curve of research.

Find a healthy balance. University is already a lot of work, and research will only take up more time. When planning your schedule, try to allocate large blocks of time (whole afternoons or individual days) to research. Rushing through a procedure could be unsafe and will often produce useless results. Always plan extra time for experiments. Consider working less in the lab during exam weeks so you don’t get overwhelmed. Talk to your mentor about your schedule and feelings regularly, so that you can arrange experiments at times that suit you, and you can keep on top of your mental health.

Find financial support. If you wish to do research at your own institution over the summer, your institution might offer funding to cover your expenses. If you want to go to another university, you can apply for funding from that institution’s undergraduate research programme, or from foundations, companies or academic societies. For example, the US National Science Foundation offers a Research Experiences for Undergraduates programme. Universities, foundations and academic societies might also offer grants to cover your travel expense to various conferences. Don’t let money limit what you want to do. Talk to senior students or professors, or search online to find all the opportunities!

Always think about the big picture. Your undergraduate research doesn’t define what you’re going to do after your degree. Keep reading and taking classes outside your comfort zone. Explore and learn as much as possible. Working out what you love is the best preparation you can get for the rest of your career.

Read the full article on the Nature website.

To find a research opportunity at Johns Hopkins University, visit the Hopkins Office of Undergraduate Research website .

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• CAREER COLUMN
• 15 March 2019

A student’s guide to undergraduate research

• Shiwei Wang 0

Shiwei Wang is a junior undergraduate student studying Integrated Science and Chemistry at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Twitter: @W_Shiwei

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience working in a materials-chemistry laboratory at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, for the past two years. Being able to mix an undergraduate education with original research in a proper laboratory has been a fantastic opportunity.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-00871-x

This is an article from the Nature Careers Community, a place for Nature readers to share their professional experiences and advice. Guest posts are encouraged. You can get in touch with the editor at [email protected].

Wang, S. et al. Preprint at ChemRxiv https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv.7824707.v2 (2019).

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How to Get Research Experience

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Working in a research setting can help make you a competitive medical school applicant and help you to determine if a career in medicine or medical research is right for you

How do I find a research position?

If you’re currently in college, check with your institution’s science or undergraduate research websites for opportunities to assist with faculty research projects. You can also review faculty bio pages and lab websites for more information. Next, reach out to your immediate network: express your interest in assisting with a research project to your science professors, academic advisor, and your pre-health advisor.

Try exchanging ideas with your peers and upper-classmen for advice on research opportunities at your institution. You can also ask peer advisors, resident advisors, or any fellow premedical students for introductions to principal investigators (PIs). You might even try the “Undergrad-Grad-PI” method. This is where you first reach out to undergraduate students in research labs to learn about their responsibilities; they oftentimes are more responsive. Then, reach out to the graduate or post-doc students to learn about the research question being investigated. After this, read the most recent paper or abstract the lab published. Once you complete these steps, you can approach the PI more confidently and more effectively demonstrate your commitment to and understanding of their project.

Your school’s career center or student employment office may know about research job openings, and they can also offer resume help and go over interview tips and techniques. Remember, opportunities may be on or off campus, full- or part-time, paid or unpaid, or part of a summer program. Once you find a position, you can connect with your school’s fellowships or awards office to inquire about research funding opportunities.

If you’ve already graduated, consider looking into open positions. Research hospitals, universities, and biotech companies are always looking for lab technicians or clinical research coordinators (CRC). Job opportunities are typically posted on the career pages of their websites.

When should I begin gaining research experience in college?

Some premedical students begin their research experiences during their first year of college, and others begin research positions after they have already graduated. On average, most students secure a research position junior or senior year. There are three big factors that will impact this:

• Your level of interest in pursuing research. If you are really excited to investigate a question under a mentor, you might find yourself reaching out to professors early and often. Other students may focus on gaining clinical experience, and therefore wait later in their academic career to start research.
• Readiness for the research project. Different PIs will have different expectations for preparation. A research project might require you to first take coursework in basic lab sciences, statistics, or another advanced topic specific to the project. Other PIs may prefer to train you “on-the-job” through their graduate or post-doc students. This will impact when you are ready to join a project.
• Finding the right research project. There is a process of reviewing different PIs and research projects to find the right fit for you. What subject do you want to investigate? Do you want your research project to take place in a lab or non-lab setting? Is there an independent question you want to investigate with the help of a mentor?

When is the best time to look for a position?

According to Kate Stutz, Ph.D., Director of Pre-Health Advising at Brandeis University, if you’re interested a research position during the academic year, the best time to look for positions is at the very beginning of the semester. There also tend to be a lot of research opportunities in the summer, both paid and volunteer, through set programs like the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REUs). It’s best to start applying for summer research positions in December-February for the upcoming summer. Remember, typically there are more applicants than available spots so get your applications in early. Each undergraduate institution will be different, therefore make sure to connect with your advisors and peers for feedback on when to start looking.

What’s the best way to apply?

The outreach email message that you send to potential research faculty is very important. This message should include a formal introduction of yourself, evidence that you are familiar with their research project(s), and a clear, specific ask. Identify what you hope to contribute to the project. Do you want to clean the glassware or analyze lab findings? Consider attaching your resume as well. Dr. Stutz stresses that networking and persistence are crucial to finding a position. Make sure you’re using all of your network, including your peers and professors, to find open positions. Don’t be afraid to send follow up emails; faculty are very busy and often overlook emails. Sometimes, it can be even more effective to stop by a professor’s office hours to hand deliver your materials and indicate your interest in person.

How should I prepare for an interview?

With any interview, it’s important to make a good impression. Be sure to dress appropriately. Come prepared with a resume. Use your campus career center for advice on proper attire and resume best practices.

Often during interviews, you’ll be asked about your career goals. It’s helpful to be able to speak about the steps you plan to take to meet those goals. Talk about classes you’ve taken, especially upper-level science courses. Speak about your skills, your knowledge of techniques, and the equipment you’ve used throughout your coursework. Be prepared to discuss the lab experiments you’ve completed. If you’ve done any sort of research—even in your coursework—keep track of it. This shows you have experience. Lastly, interviewers often ask candidates if they have any questions. Dr. Stutz suggests asking something that indicates you’ve done your own research into their project. You could ask where they see their research going in the next three years or what challenges they anticipate. You could also ask about expectations for undergraduate researchers; do they expect you to work 20+ hours a week? Full time over the summer? Do they require you to have work study or to sign up for research credits? Asking these questions ahead of time can help you plan ahead and determine if this position is the best fit for you. Check out these  interview resources  for more tips.

Does research experience have to be in a wet lab?

No! Research can be performed in any field or subject. We’ve had successful applicants with research in classics, sociology, history, and policy, as well as applicants with research in biology, biochemistry, and neuroscience. Medical schools value all types of research. Research can take place in a scientific lab that requires advanced devices and procedures to obtain data for analysis. Research can also take place in the humanities or social sciences where participant interviews or surveys are needed to obtain an individual's life perspective. The clinical research field is constantly investigating patient outcomes and how to improve care through clinical trials or analysis of patient data. As a premedical student, consider what question you want to investigate further. Do you want to learn more about how health inequities impact disadvantaged communities in your area, or perhaps you want to know more about the protein channels involved in memory cognition? Once you choose a direction, you can then partner with a research PI for guidance on how to navigate your question. Sierra Perez, Pre-Health Advisor at Brandeis University, shares not to be afraid to get creative with your research question. She has been impressed by the medical school applicants who have created independent questions that address the community needs. “Applicants are recognizing the critical needs of specific populations, such as homelessness, LGBTQ+, veterans, youth with disabilities, etc.,” she stated. “There is also a demand for translational researchers, or individuals who can take complicated bench topics and apply it to the clinical world.”

Is research experience required to be accepted to medical school? 

It depends. Some medical schools are very research focused; they may require a research thesis or have research time built into the curriculum. Other schools are more community or clinically focused; they would rather have an applicant work in a healthcare setting or volunteer at their local soup kitchen than be at the bench moving clear liquids from one test tube to another. Research experience (in whatever discipline) is helpful for developing some of the AAMC Core Competencies , such as critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, scientific reasoning, as well as teamwork and oral communication skills. How much you should engage in research depends on how much you enjoy it once you try it!

The majority of accepted medical school applicants have some form of academic or clinical research at the time they apply. Competence in research has become increasingly important in the medical field to improve patient care outcomes.

You can also review medical school mission statements to see if research is a focus at a particular school. You can read each school’s mission, and the number of accepted students in their most recent class who had research experience, in the  Medical School Admission Requirements . Remember, it’s best to pursue experiences that you’re genuinely interested in, rather than just to check a box, but you may not know if research is for you until you give it a try.  

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How to Get Research Experience as an Undergraduate

When Tim Harper began his bachelor’s in computer science  and mathematics, it had been 10 years since he had done academic research. Under the guidance of a faculty member, he discovered a research club that introduced him to the process and immersed him in opportunities that would shape his undergraduate career. 

Now, his resume boasts both local and national conferences, and he has gained skills he can use every day. 

What is Undergraduate Research?

Undergraduate research is similar. Following a research process, you can dive deep into an academic or career-related topic that interests you. Once you have a question in mind, you can begin your own research and make contributions to that particular field as an undergraduate.

Colleen Tapley , director of Undergraduate Research at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), strives to show all students they can engage in research, and that it doesn’t have to be “big and scary.” “Everyone can do research,” she said. “... I don’t feel that research is limited to one major or one type of student.” 

How to Get Research Experience

Since you complete undergraduate research during your bachelor’s degree program, it’s typically structured and academic. To get started on a research project, follow these steps: 

Step 1: Ask a Question

Start with a question or a problem that insights your curiosity. If you pick a topic you’re interested in, you’ll feel more invested in the project. 

As a military veteran, Harper understood the barriers that separated him from many of his colleagues. He became curious about how student veterans, like himself, influenced the campus classrooms, thus inspiring a question that became his first undergraduate research project, and one he later presented at the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR).

Step 2: Do Some Preliminary Research

Once you’ve landed on a topic, you can utilize scholarly databases such as Google Scholar and Academic Search to see what other researchers have learned about your topic. Universities often offer access to a host of online databases. 

After Dr. Peter Frost , a professor of psychology at SNHU, explored existing research surrounding his interest in smartphones and cognition, he discovered a glaring gap in information. This observation helped him find a focus for his student research group. 

Step 3: Construct a Thesis

Once you’ve reviewed the research that already exists, you can identify a unique approach or perspective to take in your research. 

Pat Donahue ’17 , one of Frost’s research assistants, recommends looking for the point at which other researchers left off. “From there, it’s a blank canvas,” he said. Take your idea and construct a thesis statement. These one or two sentences will guide your project.  

Step 4: Seek Out a Mentor

Tap into a wealth of experience and knowledge by finding a faculty mentor who can support you throughout your project. Mentors can help you bring your idea to fruition and get it to a point in which you can present it, according to Tapley. She recommends working with someone you feel comfortable with and can trust.

If you’re having trouble coming up with a research question, you can also approach a faculty mentor for ideas. 

Research Opportunities in College

You don’t have to look too far for research opportunities if you’re going to college. Many exist within the comfort of your university. 

Take Advantage of Class Assignments

Many classes and programs have research components built into their curriculum, allowing you to be an active learner, according to Dr. Chris Matthews , the director of SNHU’s University Honors Program . 

“Research provides the opportunity for students to process and apply the content of the course by actively questioning and seeking answers that are not instantly available,” he said. 

Before graduating, honors students complete an independent thesis to hone their critical thinking skills and prepare them to take ownership of their learning.

“Students are required to do research not just to complete the assignment but to change the world,” Matthews said. “We expect students to conduct research that they are passionate about, and that connects to their academic goals.”

Work with an Instructor

Some of your instructors may already be working on research of their own and could be looking for help. By becoming a research assistant, you’re not only helping your instructor with their goals, but you’re gaining real-world experience under the guidance of a professional in the field. 

Since he often works with his research assistants for multiple years at a time, Frost forms professional relationships with them that last long after their graduation. “I get to see how this (research experience) plays out not only during their college career, but we keep in contact after,” he said. 

The skills students learn while working with data can open doors to many career paths, according to Frost. “They could work in data analytics for companies, they can literally do research at hospitals and then, of course, many of them do it because they want to go into graduate school,” he said. 

When you're ready to embark on your next journey, the instructor you worked with may be able to speak of your accomplishments in a letter of recommendation, too.

Present Your Findings

Since research is an ongoing, collaborative experience, your project doesn’t end once you’ve finished your research. You’ll want to share what you’ve learned with others interested in developing the field. 

There may be opportunities to do so within your own college community. For instance, SNHU hosts an Undergraduate Research Day each spring, offering students the chance to present their research to colleagues, instructors and others for the chance to have their work published. 

“We look for students across the entire campus to come and show what they do all year round,” Tapley said. If their abstract – a 150-250-word summary – is accepted, students will be able to give an oral or poster presentation or work to find a solution to a real-world problem a local organization is facing.

Students interested in sharing their research beyond their campus can also submit their abstracts to other conferences and publications. 

Frost’s strategy is to start with the higher reaches first and work your way down the ladder. He and five research students recently had their study published by Wiley when they discovered that smartphones temporarily alter cognition. 

Benefits of Undergraduate Research

Donahue realized the impact his group was making in the psychology field when he saw how engaged research professionals were in the group's presentations at conferences. “It was cool to see people’s reactions (and) responses,” he said. “To see how people really had a vested interest in what we’re talking about, us being little college kids, undergraduates at the time.”

In addition to learning how to pull information from data, Donahue ran research sessions which taught him time management skills and how to organize people. These soft skills , in addition to critical thinking, public speaking and grit can spill into other areas of your life, too, and becoming an expert in a topic can certainly have an effect on your confidence. 

When Harper finishes his degree next year, he knows his experience will make him more marketable to employers. “(Employers) know that you’re not going to be a detriment if they give you an assignment where you might have to do a little research,” he said. It’ll also show employers that he’s capable of identifying credible sources and networking at conferences. 

When Harper returned to school, he never expected to become so involved in undergraduate research. “Opportunities fell into my lap, presented themselves,” he said. “Here I am, presenting at conferences across the country, and that’s wild to me.”

Rebecca LeBoeuf ’18 is a staff writer at Southern New Hampshire University. Connect with her on LinkedIn .

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Performing research can be a very enriching and transformative part of your undergraduate experience at the College. You may encounter it as part of your coursework, but it can also be something you do outside of the classroom as a way to gain practical skills, learn about methods of inquiry and contribute actively to the advancement of study in your field.

Finding a research opportunity will require you to be proactive, build faculty relationships , and use key resources . It may be good to start by charting your personal goals and interests in order to help you identify opportunities that are a match for them. Remember to give yourself plenty of time for your search and to remain flexible and open-minded through the process. Engaging with the research community at Harvard is possible for students in all concentrations. Whether you have participated in research work previously, or are just getting started, there are opportunities designed to meet you where you are right now.

Research opportunities come in many formats and happen in a variety of settings. They often start off as a question that someone wants to explore more fully. Faculty, for example, initiate research projects designed for this purpose. It might also begin with you! In your studies, for example, you may have noticed a lack of knowledge or a lack of recent work on a particular topic that interests you. With the guidance of a faculty mentor, you could be the person to explore and find answers to fill in the void of missing information.

Depending on the scale of a project, you might find yourself working on a team or operating on your own and coordinating your efforts with those of a faculty mentor. This work may take place on campus, at other domestic locations, or even internationally, during term-time or over the course of the summer.

Some common formats of research experiences for undergraduates include:

Course-based Research

Courses (existing or independent study). Many courses at Harvard and neighboring institutions (where you can cross-register ) have a strong research component. There is even the option for you to design an independent study course. To explore these options, the best starting point is with a concentration adviser knowledgeable about course offerings and policies in that concentration. You can also visit the Advising Programs Office  (APO) to connect with undergraduate concentration advisers.

Research Assistantships

There are many opportunities to work as a research assistant on an existing project. A research assistantship is an excellent opportunity for students with little experience to get their first exposure to research. Research assistantship postings can be found on department webpages, at research centers, as well as on the Student Employment Office Job Board . You can also check with nearby hospitals and research groups, in addition to faculty and grad students. If you have never contacted research investigators before, check out our tips on how to effectively reach out to faculty .

Research Programs

In lieu of performing research via a course or an assistantship, you might consider looking at a research program. Depending on the program, you might work on a project designed by a member of faculty or propose your own question to pursue under the guidance of a faculty mentor. URAF summer programs, for example, are designed to correspond to specific academic areas (i.e., STEM, Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences), forming a cohort of fellows working on various topics in their area of interest.

URAF research programs are offered on an annual basis, with pre-set start- and end-times, and require formal applications with strict deadlines. These programs often have different eligibility criteria (i.e., GPA, class year, research experience). Some programs require previous field-specific experience, while other are designed for newcomers to that particular field of study. Many research programs include various forms of financial support (e.g. stipends, accommodation, etc.) as well as opportunities for community-building and intellectual growth.

Thesis Research

Each concentration has its own requirements for thesis research, including topics allowed, prerequisites, timing, and who can supervise your work. If you are interested in thesis research, connect with advisers appointed by the concentrations for guiding undergraduates—information about concentration advisers can be found on the APO website. Also, check out our tips on how to effectively reach out to faculty .

Some questions to ask yourself when looking for a program are:

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• What type of research would you like to do?
• Does the program offer additional support or programming that may be helpful?
• How long do you intend to do research?

The Browse URAF opportunities page of our website aggregates a large number of Harvard undergraduate research options. Please note, however, that not all Harvard-affiliated schools and programs are listed here. To ensure you are learning about all potential opportunities, don’t forget to consult faculty advisers, concentration advisers, and academic advisers to identify programs that match your interests and desired outcomes most closely.

Beyond browsing through URAF opportunities, you can explore our External Resources  page which provides another starting point for finding research opportunities, including research programs. Some are based at Harvard, while others are located across the US and worldwide. You can also use Google to search for research programs related to your topic and interests. Try using the keywords, "undergraduate research" or "summer undergraduate research."

If you have previously performed research at Harvard, you too might consider how you would benefit from exploring external opportunities . Exposure to research and processes at different institutions will allow you to expand your professional and academic networks, to explore a new place and even new ways of investigating topics that interest you.

At whatever point you happen to be in your undergraduate trajectory, URAF is here to support you through each stage of the process. You can even check out our remote-ready  resources webpages if you intend to perform all or part of your research online.

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• Online Undergraduate Research Symposium (OURS)
• Medical Education for Diverse Students (MEDS) Conference
• Summer Research Conference (SRC)
• Undergraduate Research Conference (URC)
• Conference Preparation
• External Research Conferences and Professional Meetings
• Conference Travel Funding
• Prestigious Scholarships
• Be a Mentor
• Other Ways to Get Involved
• Resources for Mentors
• Outstanding Mentor Awards
• Scholarship on Undergraduate Research
• Alumni Profiles & News
• Undergraduate Research

Participating in undergraduate research at UC San Diego is a rewarding experience that provides many benefits:

• Create and share knowledge​
• Build relationships with mentors​
• Gain critical thinking and communication skills​
• Cultivate community with peers​
• Travel to conferences​
• Practice public speaking​
• Develop a broad professional network
• Get paid and/or receive academic credit​
• Prepare for graduate school

If you are interested in getting involved with undergraduate research, but need guidance on how to start, we are here to help! Below we detail common factors and opportunities to consider when you're narrowing down your research options and completing the application process.

Important!  Getting involved with undergraduate research is not a linear process (step 1, step 2, etc). The information below is in a list to help you easily find what you need, but the process of getting involved with research is not the same for every opportunity or program. T he order of the steps will vary across opportunities .  For example, depending on the program, you may need to find a faculty mentor prior to applying to the program, after applying to the program, or a faculty mentor will be assigned to you. Use the information below as applicable and necessary.

Personal factors to consider

When considering research programs or other research opportunities, it is important to know your wants, needs, and eligibility. Below are a list of questions to think about and answer to help you when you start researching, narrowing down, and applying to opportunities. Consider current and future interests when answering the questions. 

• What goals do you have in mind (e.g. gain technical skills, gain experience for medical school applications, etc.)?
• What skills do you want to gain?
• What skills do you have to offer?
• UC San Diego
• Other university
• Out-of-state
• When do you want to do research? 
• Academic year and/or summer?
• Which quarter(s)? 
• How many experiences do you want to complete?
• What other time commitments do you have in your life?
• Pay as an employee
• Scholarship/stipend
• Research/class credits
• Co-curricular record
• What field(s) do you want to do research in?
• Do you want to do research individually or with a group? (This often, but not always, depends on the field/professor).
• Do you want to work on your own project or a professor/PI's project? (This often, but not always, depends on the field/professor).
• Citizenship
• Race/ethnic identity
• Family income
• Student status (number of course units you have)
• Career goals
• Education goals (bachelor's, master's, doctorate, medical school, etc.)
• Are you a first-generation student? (your parent(s) didn't earn a 4-year degree)

Research opportunities

There are many ways to find and participate in research at UC San Diego and elsewhere. Here are some of the ways to explore your options. These apply to all fields and interest areas, including interdisciplinary options. 

Hint:  When researching opportunities, look for those geared towards your chosen field as well as those open to "all fields."

• Search the Undergraduate Research Hub's programs
• Search the All UC San Diego Undergraduate Research Programs database
• Academic Internship Portal
• Research Experience & Applied Learning Portal
• TAs / graduate students
• Student organizations
• Mentoring programs
• Opportunities outside for UC San Diego (FAQ)
• Opportunities abroad (FAQ)

Field specific factors

The information below is based on common experiences of our students; however, some students have converse experiences.  Use the information to guide your pursuit of conducting undergraduate research, but understand that your experience may be different.

Arts, humanities, and social sciences

For arts, humanities, and social sciences (e.g., music, literature, sociology) students, it is common to work with a professor individually, whether through a formal opportunity/program or through volunteering. Our information on finding a mentor can help you find a faculty member to work with. 

In these fields, it can be easier to pursue your own research project.

In addition to the research opportunities listed above, you may be able to

• Volunteer for a professor with similar research interests
• Ask a professor if you can do research for 199 credit (without a formal program)

Engineering, life sciences, and physical sciences

For engineering, life sciences, and physical sciences (e.g., engineering, biology, physics) students, it is common to work in a lab / with a research group on a ongoing project, whether through a formal opportunity/program or through volunteering. 

In addition to the research opportunities listed above, you may also want to

• Look for undergraduates listed (this indicates that they are open to working with undergraduates)
• Reach out to an undergraduate and/or graduate student to learn details about this research group
• Find contact information for this research group and contact them about opportunities

Evaluate opportunities

Consider multiple options! Don't limit yourself to one program. You can apply to multiple options at a time and can participate in different options throughout your undergraduate career.

Important!  After you decide on the opportunities that you want to consider, research what is required to apply.

• How they align with your answers to the questions in the "things to consider" list above
• Eligibility
• Requirements
• Application due dates
• Application documents (e.g. personal statement, letter of recommendation, transcripts)
• Application processes
• Research group requirements and expectations (if applicable)

Other steps: picking a topic, picking a mentor, applying, etc.

Remember: Getting involved with undergraduate research is not a linear process (step 1, step 2, etc). The information below is in a list to help you easily find what you need, but the process of getting involved with research is not the same for every opportunity or program. The order of the steps will vary across opportunities.

• Choose a research topic
• Find a faculty research mentor
• Ask for a letter of recommendation
• Reach out to the writing hub  for help
• Undergraduate Research Hub (URH) application process  
• For non-URH opportunities, visit their websites for application instructions.
• Review our FAQs  for commonly asked questions
• Contact a URH staff member with any further questions!

The Research Guide

Anahi Ibarra is a UCSD Alumna that created a research flip-book guide for her TRELS Spring 2020 research project, specifically for first generation college students. She hopes this PDF guide can help all students interested in research and provide resources on how to get involved on campus.

Check out the Guide!

Undergraduate Research Hub

CONNECT WITH THE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH HUB:

• LinkedIn  

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Online and remote research, online & remote research opportunities .

Ground-breaking research is being done everywhere across the world, with much of the work being done from remote locations. Many academic departments offer both in-person and remote research opportunities for undergraduates either through working directly with faculty in a mentored project, through  Vertically Integrated Projects (VIPs), or through  Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs). As the university and faculty members adapt to an increasingly flexible workplace, online and remote research opportunities continue to increase. This page provides resources for undergraduate students seeking to find and be involved in remote and online research experiences during both the school year and the summer. 

Where do I find online and remote research?

The sections below share different avenues to find online, virtual, and remote research experiences for both the academic year and over the summer. These opportunities are available for any undergraduate student interested in remote research.

Check out Handshake , which can be used to find research positions, internships, employment opportunities, and networking events that are currently accepting applications!

What is Handshake?

• Handshake is a free-to-use online platform that undergraduates can use to find on-campus and/or off-campus workshops, jobs, internships, research experiences, and events.
• Students must use their UA NetID to create and log into your Handshake account.
• For more tips and tricks on how to utilize Handshake in your research journey, please visit here .

How can I use Handshake to find online and remote opportunities? 

• Log in Handshake  with your UA NetID in order to access the main home page.
• On the left-hand side bar, click on  Jobs .
• Go to  All Filters  and scroll down to the bottom until you see the heading  Labeled by your school .
• In the search bar that is below the Labeled by your school  heading, search  undergraduate research  in order to see the research opportunities that the URA staff has tagged.
• On the top bar, go to the  on-site/remote drop-down heading and filter by  remote - work from home.

ura online work.png

The UA Researchers Database  is   an online list of UA faculty from every academic department that welcome undergraduates students into their research projects. The database is updated regularly with new faculty who are interested in welcoming undergraduate students into their research projects on- or off-campus. Faculty can now indicate their ability to offer remote and online opportunities.

We recommend using our Faculty Profiles resource in conjunction with the UA Researchers Database. While the UA Researcher Database provides brief descriptions of current projects, profiles.arizona.edu  provides a convenient and extensive platform for learning more about a faculty member's research interest, current and past projects, publications, classes, and much more. 

How do I use the UA Researchers Database to find online and remote research?

• Go to our UA Researchers Database , which can be found under our  Find Research  drop-down heading.
• You will be able to set your preferences at the top of the database list, such as your preferred College ,  Department , and  Types of Opportunities  (e.g. for course credit, paid, volunteer, and/or not given). 
• You can also type a certain research interest you may have in the Keyword Search  area.
• You can also set your preferred location! In the  Research Location  menu, choose the  Online  option. This option was recently added to the database, so not many researchers have responded yet. Please Check again regularly for more online opportunities!
• Click the Apply option   when you have set all your preferences to see the list of faculty that best fits with your own interests and preferences!

How do I use the Faculty Profiles resource to find online and remote research?

There are two ways that you can use the profiles.arizona.edu to find online and remote research opportunities; we will be showing you both!

In Conjunction with the UA Researchers Database:

• Once you have found a faculty member that you are interested in from the UA Researchers Database, type their name name in the search bar below the  Search UA Faculty, Educators, Scholars, and Researchers  heading. Sometimes, it takes a long time for the profile to load, so please be patient!
• After the page has loaded, the faculty member's profile will appear below the search bar. Feel free to explore this informtion, which will include their  Biography , Interests  in teaching and research,  Courses , and  Scholarly Contributions , which includes their journals and publications.
• Before reaching out to the faculty member, we encourage you to read through their research interests as well as explore their publications , such as reading the abstract of their publication, in order to gain a better understanding of their research. If you need help in emailing and reaching out to faculty about research opportunities, please go to this helpful resource .

Only Using the Faculty Profiles:

• In the search bar below the  Search UA Faculty, Educators, Scholars, and Researchers  heading, you can search up certain key words that will lead you to faculty profiles that best matches it!
• Try searching up  online  and/or  remote  in the search bar to find faculty profiles that either teach courses or conduct research remotely and/or offer research opportunities that can be done remotely.

There are many online, remote, and virtual research programs available for undergraduate students across a broad variety of research interests. These programs can be summer or academic year and are offered by a number of universities. Please read each program carefully for their description, application requirements, and program dates. This section will be updated regularly as more online programs become available for the summer.

Online Programs for 2024-25

For other online summer research programs, please visit the AAMC's list of Summer Undergraduate Research and the NSF's list of Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) .

Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education (CARE) Scholars

Description :   The Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education (CARE) offers an immersive online course in Asian Health for undergraduate and graduate students, featuring a 9-week summer focus on Data Science and Vulnerable Populations. The program trains scholars in population science research, equipping them with skills in database analysis, healthcare research, and problem-solving in vulnerable populations. It emphasizes collaboration with various stakeholders and covers topics like Asian health, medical technology, AI, global health, research essentials, innovation, leadership, scholarship, presentation skills, and career development. Students will also be able to build valuable connections within Stanford CARE's global network and present their research at the annual Stanford's CARE Summer Research Symposium .

Application Requirements :   $75 application fee

Deadline :   January 14th, 2024

Program Dates : June 2024-August 2024

Texas A&M University Department of Material Sciences & Engineering Online Research Experience for Undergraduates (O-REU)

Description : The Texas A&M University is pleased to offer an online REU (O-REU) program in partnership with  Los Alamos National Laboratory . During the summer, students are expected to participate ( 40 hours/week ) and are remunerated $5000 for the summer. All activities are carried out fully remotely: there are no in-person meetings and no residency requirement. Travel support for one site visit will also be made available. O-REU is open to US citizens and permanent residents currently pursuing bachelor's degrees.

Application Requirements :   1 page resume, recent electronic transcript, list of preferred mentors (please consult the faculty interests list), and contact information (name, professional affiliation, email address) of two professional references

Deadline : Friday, April 28th, 2024 at 5:00 PM CST

Program Dates : May 24 to August 4, 2024

Please email the application required materials and/or any inquiries to  Ms. Isabel Cantu .

Neoscholar CIS Online Research Program

Description : The CIS online research program is offered throughout the year. A CIS program course usually hosts fifteen students, who are divided into small research groups. The program is generally 24 hours with our professors across ten weeks , including 2 hours of lectures in each of the first six weeks and 3 hours of research seminars in each of the last four weeks. Each course will be assigned an experienced instructor to provide academic instruction sessions and research guidance to students. 

Application Requirements : Please access the application form  and be able to answer its secondary questions.

Deadline : N/A

Program Dates : N/A

Please email any questions or request a brochure from [email protected] .

Description : CrowdMath is an online, open project that gives all college students the opportunity to collaborate on a large research project with top-tier research mentors and an exceptional peer group. MIT PRIMES and Art of Problem Solving are working together to create a place for students to experience research mathematics and discover ideas that did not exist before.

Application Requirements : Please create a free account to participate.

Please email any questions to  [email protected] .

Pembroke College of Cambridge Online Summer Research Programme

Description :  The Online Summer Research Programme offers you the unique opportunity to experience the renowned Cambridge style of teaching from anywhere in the world. It’s a real opportunity to challenge yourself academically and develop deep subject knowledge, working one-to-one with an expert in the field. From cyber warfare to the economic viability of Obamacare, we almost cover it all on our Subject Stream and for everything we don’t, you’re able to propose your own research topics on our Open Stream. Outside of supervisions, you’ll also connect and make friendships with other students on the programme through online networking events.  

Application Requirements : Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2, have finished your first-year of college, and have high level of English Fluency. Please visit the application site to see what other application materials are required (e.g. transcript, project form).

Deadline : TBA

Program Dates : July 1st-28th, 2024

Please email any questions to  [email protected].

BeMo ®  4-Month & 1-Year Research Programs

Description :   BeMo ® offers many different types of online research projects   for all undergraduate students that will best prepare them for their application to medical school.

• Online Independent Research Program : You can get research experience that makes your application stand out from the comfort of your home and have weekly meetings online via video conference with your team of research committee members. You can choose between the 4-months or the 1-year research program to conduct a literature review research project on a high impact topic hand selected by the PhDs.
• Step-by-Step Guided Research : The BeMo® team of research experts will help you each step of the way from choosing the best research topic to scientific research methodology to presentation and publication. Each week you'll meet for private one-on-one consultations to go over your research and get specific guidance and feedback as your progress.
• High-Impact Research Projects : You can research high-impact topics, such as Psychiatric, COVID-19, Substance-abuse, Vaccines, COPD, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Ulcerative Colitis, Stroke, Heart Attack, Asthma, Obesity, Women’s Health, Cancer, and more.
• Master Scientific Research Methodology : You will attend 6 guided workshops and complete 5 exercises to learn research methodology, literature search, data analysis, scientific communication, research manuscript creation, and research presentation. In the 4-months program you'll attend 15 sessions and in the 1-year program you'll receive 48 sessions to guide you at every step of the way.
• Gain Experience Writing Research Papers:  BeMo®  team of research experts will help you complete a research summary paper on your research topic to help you learn the essential principles of scientific inquiry and publication. Your research summary will be published on the BeMo®  website, so you can use it as a reference on your applications and CV.

Application Requirements :  You can schedule a free 15-minute initial consultation , where you will be able to talk about what option of research is the best fit for you. Prices for these research projects are listed on their website .

Program Dates: N/A

The University of Arizona Library  is available online for all UA undergraduate students. Students will be able to find wide variety of online resources, such as research journals, course guides, tutorials for library research, and much more. This section will provide a brief overview of resources that are available and important for online and remote researchers. Please also explore the UA Library Online & Distance Students site , which provides information on research resources, on how to develop your research skill. 

How can I find online research resources?

There are many different ways on how to find online research through the UA Library site. You will be able to access these online resources for free with your NetID and password.

• Use the library search engine to find both print and online content, including articles, books, ebooks, films, and more. You can type any keywords that may aid you in your search in the search bar at the top of the screen.
• You can also search through the online A-Z database  to find a specific resource based on subject, database type, vendor/provider, and keyword (e.g. description or title). 
• If you are unable to find what you need through the website, you can also receive a free library card at your local library, such as at Pima County Public Library , if you are a local resident.
• Finally, you can search for academic resources that are tailored to your discipline . This site features many guides that are categorized by course number (e.g. ENG 101), subject (e.g. General Chemistry), and topic (e.g. AI literacy). You can also search for a specific guide using the search bar near the bottom of the webpage. 

How can I learn and/or improve my research skills?

The UA Library has made quick video tutorials, articles, and quizzes that can teach you skills on how to be a better researcher, through both academics and research. These videos are meant to build your foundation in research, such as how to cite empirical articles, how to evaluate online information, how to find a research interest/topic, etc! Please explore the Learn with Tutorials webpage from the UA Library in order to delve deeper into the resources our online library has to offer! The UA Library also offer support for any researchers , such as funding & networking opportunities, research proposal plans, management of citations, publishing opportunities, and much more!

Not sure how to find an online research opportunity that suits your interests? Need help reaching out to faculty?

The Undergraduate Research Ambassador (URA) Team is here to support you on any step of your research journey. The URA Team URAs are able to provide one-on-one support to students who would like individualized help in exploring possibilities, communicating with a research mentor, sharing their research ideas, or preparing an application for a research program.

How can I individually meet with an URA?

There are many ways for undergraduate students, who are online and/or remote, to receive  one-and-one support  from URAs at any step of their research journey:

• Sign up for a 1:1 meeting!  Schedule your appointment through  Handshake . Meetings are available through zoom and usually last 30 minutes! Appointments can be made throughout the week, including weekends!
• Send an email!  Write any questions, thoughts, or concerns to  [email protected] . You can also send us email drafts, research program applications, resumes, etc for us to review for you!
• Check out other SECD resources!  The  Student Engagement & Career Development (SECD)  also provides individualized support on preparing your resume, CV, or cover letter for any applications through  Lifelab , which appointments can also be made through Handshake  with a  Career Educator  or  Career Peer Coach . 

What academic departments at the UA offer online and remote research?

Each academic department manages their own undergraduate research program and may have specific steps for how to become involved, even for online and remote research opportunities. The list below will provide links and information on the different types of online research, such as VIPs, CUREs, research teams, or faculty projects that are unique to the academic department or college. The full list of all of the academic departments and colleges, with links to their websites, can be found here . 

This sections lists online Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) for the  academic year of 2023-24  and other online research opportunities by online UA Faculty . This site will be updated regularly, so check in with us!

Online Course-Based Research Experiences for Fall 2024

APCV361: Data Analysis and Visualization

Description :   Data Analysis and Visualization will lay a foundation for students to understand how to process, analyze, and visualize data.  Topics include data collection and integration, exploratory data analysis, statistical inference and modeling, machine learning, and data visualization.  The emphasis of the course topics will be placed on integration and synthesis of concepts and their application to solving problems.  Students will explore these topics using software tools.

Prerequisites :   College of Applied Science & Technology (CAST) student, APCV 302 and APCV 320, Prior Python programming

Credits :  3 credits

Other Information : Asynchronous online, optional weekly meetings

Instructor :   Dr. Li Xu , College of Applied Science & Technology

BAT/ENGR/CALS 102 | Data Science Heroes: An Undergraduate Research Experience in Open Data Science Practices

Description :   Despite a growing demand for data scientists, university training in science ethics, code licensing and best reproducibility practices are not generalized for undergraduates. In this Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE), students will conduct an assessment of the current landscape and the evolution of accessibility, documentation and reproducibility practices in bioinformatics. The CURE will be a two-credit course in the Department of Biosystems Engineering accessible to students from any college. Students will learn and reflect upon best practices for open science and science reproducibility. Several practical skills will also be developed such as science communication, as well as the use of computational tools for code versioning and documentation.

Prerequisites :   None

Credits : 3  credits

Other Information : Asynchronous online

Instructor : Dr. Bonnie Hurwitz , Dr. Alise Ponsero, College of Engineering

HWRS 349A&B/350 | Principles of Hydrology

Description : Students in this course will work to answer the question: “Do monsoon storms start later in the day than they did decades ago?” This question has been raised by numerous long-time Tucson citizens, who insist that monsoon storms start in the late evening (after sunset) rather than 3-5pm. While this started as a pedestrian question, it also has meteorological and practical implications if it is in fact true. The in-person class is a hands-on Collaborative Learning course, and there is a practical, applied lab with several field trips, many of which involve interaction with hydrology & atmospheric science professionals. Some examples of field trips for the lab include: Stream gaging with the US Geological Survey; A tour of the National Weather Survey office and a weather balloon launch; A tour of Biosphere2's Landscape Evolution Observatory (LEO) Project; and more! This is an excellent course to gain a broad, applied understanding of virtually every subdiscipline in hydrology!

Prerequisites :   Calculus I (MATH 113 or MATH 122A&B)

Credits : 3 Credits

Other Information : Online

Instructor : Dr. Martha Whitaker , College of Science

LING 2/3/499: Community-led Language Technology Development

Description : Students will join a community-based language technology development project, the Coeur d’Alene Online Language Resource Center (COLRC), as an example of a community lead language technology development project that focuses on the needs of a low-resource, minoritized language community. Depending on their skills and interests, participating students will enroll for 1 to 3 credits, at a course level (299, 399, 499) appropriate to their experience, and be assigned to assist in the development and deployment process. The project supports students who wish to develop skills in linguistic analysis and language activism, along with at least one of the following technical skills: coding for frontend, backend, rest interfaces, and scripting (javascript, python); database development (postgres, graphQL); and/or natural language processing (ingest, tokenization, annotation tasks using lum.ai/odinson libraries). Interested students should have at least some familiarity with and enjoyment of coding, but need not have significant experience or expertise in these areas. Students who are members of minoritized or low resource language communities will bring particularly valuable experience and expertise to this work, but any undergraduate student is welcome to participate

Credits : 1-3 credits

Other Information : Asynchronous Online

Instructor :  Amy V Fountain ,  College of Humanities

Online Course-Based Research Experiences for Spring 2024

PAH 420 | Innovation and the Human Condition: Learning How to Improve Life in the Community and Beyond

Description :   This course will equip students with the skills to use the humanities intellectual and analytical traditions to identify and pursue strategic responses to opportunities for innovation in the human condition. Over the course of the semester, students will draw on a range of humanities-based ways of seeing and doing to: 1) identify opportunities for improving the human condition at the community level and beyond; 2) analyze the cultural, political, and economic conditions that influence such opportunities; 3) design technological, industrial, and socio-cultural innovations that are directly responsive to these opportunities; and 4) develop strategic storylines that effectively convey the merits of these innovations to relevant stakeholders.

We will begin by forming small teams of student innovators. Each team will engage, experience, and internalize the course content through a series of activities and tasks that include: 1) identifying a community-based issue or opportunity that warrants an intervention; 2) analyzing the issue or opportunity through secondary research; 3) formulating an innovative strategy that is data-driven and based in the principles and concepts central to the humanities intellectual and analytical traditions; 4) refining and enhancing said innovative strategy through primary research; and 4) developing and delivering a multi-faceted presentation (visual, oral, written) of the strategy to a panel of experts.

Other Information : Asynchronous online, mandatory team weekly meetings, final research project showcase

Instructor :   TBA

HNRS 195J-101: Tasting Tomorrow: Portraying Culture and Futurity through the Culinary World

Description :   The course focuses on a few key areas that center of the relationship we all have with food: examining how food operates in defining culture and discussions around cultural heritage; how specific restaurants and figures have informed the growth of Tucson into a City of Gastronomy; and, how different modalities of food media (food writing, poetry, television, film, web content, art, etc.) shape a variety of discourses on contemporary issues ranging from food scarcity to the politics of eating meat/plants to the treatment of laborers within the broader scope of the food industry. By the end of the semester, students have read and viewed materials to foster robust in-class (or online, or both) discussions of these concerns and themes while producing several research-based small-scale projects using a variety of composing strategies and multimodal mediums (such as using Instagram, developing newsletters/web pages, and executing in-person/digital presentations).

Prerequisites :   Honors College

Credits : 1 credit

Instructor :   Joseph Nardinelli , College of Humanities

HNRS 195H-102: Speaking for Yourself: Understanding Your Linguistic Identity

Description :   We apply methods and concepts from the study of linguistics, with a focus on acoustic and articulatory phonetics for spoken and signed languages, in order to investigate the patterns of language that give each of us our own 'voice'. We share our findings with each other, and in doing so begin to develop an understanding and appreciation of the linguistic diversity around us.

Online UA Research Labs & Projects for Spring 2024

If you are interested in any of these opportunities, you will need to contact the faculty member in charge of the project. Please read our tips on  writing an email to faculty  or schedule a 1:1 Handshake appointment with an URA for personal support on drafting emails.

For other online research opportunities by UA faculty, please visit our extensive database of professors conducting online research and welcoming undergraduate students.

Dr. Dalal Alharthi - Cybersecurity and related fields

Description :   Preferred interest in Cloud Security; Penetration Testing; Incident Response; Human-Computer Interaction (HCI); Privacy; and Cybersecurity Education. I nterdisciplinary Research opportunities are available in the intersection between the area of Cybersecurity and several areas such as Computer Science; Public Administration; Business Administration; and Education.

Prerequisites : None

Types of Opportunities : Volunteer, For Credit

Commitment :  If volunteering, you should commit to 6 hours or more per week. For credit, you may enroll in an Independent Study course.

Principal Investigator :   Dr. Dalal Alharthi , Computer Science

Alicja Babst-Kostecka - Plant Environmental & Genomic Adaptation

Description : My research combines genetic, phenotypic, and environmental information in an integrated framework to study plant adaptation to changing environmental conditions. I am particularly interested in the mechanisms that allow certain plant species to colonize industrially contaminated habitats at former mining sites. These species thereby undergo rapid genetic and physiological adaptation. Specifically, they have evolved the ability to tolerate and sometimes accumulate remarkable amounts of metal trace elements – traits that I am studying in both field and controlled laboratory experiments. My interdisciplinary work sets the stage for mitigating the legacies of industrial exploitation. By advancing the molecular basis of phytoremediation and biofortification efforts, I strive to contribute to improving environmental and human health.

Types of Opportunities : Volunteer, For Credit, Paid

Commitment : N/A

Principal Investigator :   Dr. Alicja Babst-Kosetecka , Environmental Science

Mixed Augmented ViRtual eXtended Reality Laboratory - MA[VR]X

Description : The Mixed Augmented ViRtual eXtended (Reality) Laboratory in the College of Applied Science & Technology is the University of Arizona’s home for research, exploration, and development for alternative and extended reality media and training in southeastern Arizona. We take a very broad view of “extended reality” to include everything from head-mounted display Topics include: Posthuman inquiry, applied post-phenomenology, extended reality, augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, Web3, metaverse, educational technology, instructional technology, human-computer interaction, cybersecurity, cyber operations, digital identity.

Prerequisites : Preferred interested in extended reality and comfortable with fully remote research. Enrollment in APCV 399 (1-3 credit hours) required.

Types of Opportunities : For Credit

Commitment : 3-9 Hours per week

Principal Investigator :   Dr. Ryan Straight ,  College of Applied Sciences & Technology

Purnima Madhivanan   - Public Health & Health Promotional Sciences

Description : Purnima Madhivananis an Associate Professor in Health Promotion Sciences at the Mel & Enid College of Public Health at University of Arizona. A physician by training from Government Medical College in Mysore, she has a MPH and PhD in Epidemiology from the University of California, Berkeley, USA. She completed her post-doctoral training in 2010. She is the Director of Public Health Research Institute of India (PHRII) and is also the Director of the Global Health Equity Scholars (GHES) Training Program in collaboration with Stanford, Yale and University of California, Berkeley. For the past 20 years, her work has focused on disadvantaged populations, elucidating the dynamics of poverty, gender, and the environmental determinants of health, in particular the impact on women and children living in rural communities. She established a clinic in Mysore, India in 2005 while completing her PhD dissertation. For over a decade, the PHRII/Prerana Women’s Health Initiative has delivered low-cost, high-quality reproductive health services to 44,000 low-income women living in Mysore District. Offering a full-service clinic, molecular laboratory and active affiliations with several major tertiary care hospitals, the site is recognized as a research and training site for Global Health. The Saving Children Improving Lives Program focused on increasing integrated antenatal care and HIV testing services for women in rural and tribal communities using mobile clinics with the help of women’s self-help groups to mobilize and follow-up women. This program model was then adapted to provide cervical cancer screening services in the community in India, which is the only community based cervical cancer screening program in India. Dr. Madhivanan’s work focuses on addressing the systemic inequities that put India’s tribal and rural women at-risk for poor health and birth outcomes. Her current work is at the intersection of infectious and chronic diseases with a special focus on cancer. Dr. Madhivanan serves as an advisor to a number of state departments of Public Health, non-profit as well as governmental research organizations. In 2007, she received the prestigious International Leadership Award from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation for her work on HIV prevention. She has received several awards and honors for mentoring. Dr. Madhivanan’s global health credentials and clinical service has brought unique opportunities for collaboration; most recently benefiting students and faculty interested in learning about Global Health and service in a developing world setting.

Prerequisites : Proficient in Social Media, Website, Technology, MS Office

Types of Opportunities : Volunteer, For Credit

Principal Investigator :   Dr. Purmina Madhivanan ,  Public Health

Noshene Ranjbar - Cultural & Trauma Psychiatry

Description : Interested in integrative medicine; integrative psychiatry; culturally-sensitive and trauma-informed work with underserved, particularly American Indian community and refugees; mind-body medicine; physician wellness and burnout; medical student wellness and burnout; integration of indigenous and modern medicine and healing practices; PTSD and trauma-spectrum disorders

Prerequisites : Pre-Med

Types of Opportunities : Volunteer, For Credit, Paid

Principal Investigator :   Dr. Noshene Ranjbar ,  Integrative Psychiatry Program

How to get involved in research as an undergraduate

By Associate Teaching Professor Mark Sheldon

After studying for a while, many students are curious about what CS research involves and wonder if it is something they should do.  Is it right for you?  Consider the following points as you weigh the pros and cons.

If you want to go to graduate school, then YES!  Find out what you're getting into before you apply, sign on, and sign up. And it is a feather in your cap when you apply (especially if you have any publications).

If you don't want to go to graduate school, then maybe.  It can be a great chance to work on a larger project in a non-class environment, get to know faculty and graduate students, and learn deeply about something you would likely not be able to learn about any other way. It can also look good on a resume.

If you decide to do research, it will be during the summer, during the regular school year, or both. Thus you need to have time to do it. Whether an internship or research opportunity is better is hard to say. You want to learn something, enjoy what you are doing, and prepare for your future.

If you decide that research is right for you, there are two main avenues for gaining entry into research: here at Tufts or outside of Tufts.  The key in both cases is to find the opportunities, assess your own interests, and then apply.

A good way to start assessing your interests is by attending  department colloquia  which are advertised in the Cummings Center and via colloquia email (contact  [email protected]  to subscribe). You'll find out what people are doing and see what excites you and, just as importantly, what does not excite you.

If you are curious about what kinds of research students do at Tufts, including in other departments, you might want to attend the  Tufts Undergraduate and Research Symposium . This is an annual Tufts tradition held at the end of the academic year.

Research outside of Tufts

Research Experiences for Undergrads (REUs) are part of funded research projects that have been budgeted specifically for undergraduate participation. You can find out about what is available at the  National Science Foundation (NSF) website.

Start by browsing. Find topics that interest you. Skim the list and note projects of interest (open a tab in a browser or save the URL or take notes). Then go back and review the interesting opportunities.

Things to keep in mind: Is the project large or small? Is it a new opportunity or an established program? Some REUs are part of a project that does this routinely, and they have an organized approach to bringing on new people. Some are smaller or newer, and things are less formal. Larger ones may mean you work less with the head faculty member (if at all) and more with their graduate students. That's not bad — the grad students are doing the work for the project in question, but they may be less experienced at managing students.

Ask around among your friends or try to find people who have done a program before through the NSF. They can let you know whether they support students well or whether you are expected to work on your own more.

That said, most are well-run and are great opportunities to do something you might not be able to do here at Tufts.

Research at Tufts

Be sure to check out the  Summer Scholars research program  for information about summer research opportunities, independent studies, and more.

Additionally, you should be aware of the  Senior Honors Thesis Program . If you decide to do research, this might be a path for you. See  Undergraduate Research Fund  for a funding option.

You can also contact faculty about research positions. However, there are two projects you should do first. Devote 45 minutes, maybe an hour or so to each, but do them a day or two apart. That will give you time to digest what you saw and let things simmer before you come back for the second round.

Advice: Do not email or otherwise contact a faculty member and ask “Do you have research projects for students?” without doing the preparation below. You are wasting your time and theirs if you do that.

Be aware that not all faculty are looking for undergraduates all the time. Everything depends on funding, the state of current projects, and the particular goals currently being pursued.

Task 1: Option narrowing

Go to the department web page about  research areas in the department.  You'll get a sense of what we do in the department and you can see what areas resonate with you. Most of those items will point you to various individual faculty web pages, which will contain more information about exactly what they do. You may also go to the department  faculty page  to get links for faculty member pages.

If they have instructions for getting involved in their research groups, make a note of that — you'll come back to that later if you're interested in working with them.

Read up on their general descriptions. If they have project descriptions, read those, of course. Take notes on things that interest you, and, if you like, things that don't seem interesting.

• The goal is to learn about you!
• Don't expect to understand what you read! These descriptions are generally written for other faculty members and graduate students and frequently contain information intended for practitioners in the specific subfield of the research area.
• Answer this:  Would I like to learn more about this? Is this something that piques your interest?
• If you have a sense of what you like, you have been successful. Take notes!

At the end of this task, you will have a list of 0–4 faculty members doing work that interests you, and maybe even a couple projects that you read about. Well done — take a break for a day or two.

Task 2: Whom should I contact?

Welcome back! You may revise your list of 0–4 faculty members after some time away. If the number is 0, then you may consider the NSF page referred to above, internships, and/or personal projects. Not everyone has to do research. In addition, our department does not cover all possible areas of interest.

For each faculty member on your list, go back to their respective web page(s). Look at their 2–4 most recent publications or more detailed descriptions of the work of their graduate students. You can concentrate mostly on the abstracts, introductions, and some items about what they actually did in the reported work.

• Don't expect to understand what you read! These descriptions are written specifically for practitioners in the subfield of the research area and not for a general audience.
• Answer this:  Would I like to learn more about this?
• Answer this:  Would I like to come to work every day (over the summer) or a couple times a week (during the year) and do what they're describing?
• If you can answer these questions, you're being successful. Take notes!

At the end of this task, you should have a list of 0–4 faculty members for whom you have 1 or 2 items of interest plus notes on those things.

Take a moment to write up some questions about the project.

Task 3: Making contact

For each faculty member on your list, make contact. Start by looking at their websites. Many professors have explicit instructions about how to get involved in their research groups. If they have taken that trouble, then do what they say!

In person is probably best in general, but online is okay. You can send an email, too. Keep it short.

Start by saying you are looking for an undergraduate research opportunity. Let them know why they should keep talking or reading.

Ask your questions about their specific projects. This will:

• Get answers to your questions, allowing you to decide whether the project is still as interesting as it seemed
• Let them know that you did your legwork
• Entertain both of you by starting a conversation about something you are both interested in (faculty members are people, too)
• Ask about opportunities with those projects, what specifically you might be able to do, and how to proceed if there is mutual interest. If you are open to other projects, then express that, too.

As I said above, not all faculty members hire undergraduates and at any given time, and there may or may not be space in their groups.  The above tasks are, still worth it, because you were learning about you.  Even if there is not an opportunity here at Tufts, you may have discovered something of interest to you that you can pursue somewhere else, on your own, or with a group of friends.

Faculty vary widely in whether and how they hire and pay students (again, see  Undergraduate Research Fund  for some possible funding). Therefore, I cannot give specific advice about that. At the end of Task 3, they can tell you what happens next. They might ask you to come to their research group meetings and hang out to see whether a relationship can emerge organically. They might want to interview you for a job (or have one of their graduate students do that). Whatever it is, you are on your journey.

Remember! The goal is to learn something about you and what you might enjoy doing, and to prepare for your future.

Welcome to the research community!

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Office of undergraduate education.

PairMe, hosted by UROP, is a dynamic platform dedicated to connecting students with research opportunities and mentors in their field of interest. It is a centralized hub where undergraduates can explore various research projects thereby networking with faculty members or graduate students, and gain valuable hands-on experience in academic research.

Our site streamlines the process of finding research opportunities by providing a user-friendly interface where students can browse, filter, and apply to projects based on their academic interests and expertise. With this site, undergraduates can take their academic journey to the next level by engaging in meaningful research experiences that contribute to their personal and professional growth. 

Undergraduate Research Spring Symposium

The 18th Annual Undergraduate Research Spring Symposium was held Tuesday, April 16 from 10 am - 4 pm in the Exhibition Hall. Over 150 students gave talks or presented posters on their projects. 

Talks covered topics in Computer Science, Energy and Space, Finance and Policy, Materials and Devices, Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, and Teaching and Learning.

During the afternoon poster sessions, the Midtown Ballroom “buzzed” with conversation as presenters shared their work. 

Congratulations to all the presenters! Many thanks to their excellent research mentors - from graduate student to faculty. We’re already looking forward to next year’s Symposium!

Click below for access to a photo album of the Symposium.

For Faculty, Staff, Postdocs, and Graduate Students: Recruiting Reviewers

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) is recruiting reviewers for two programs: PURA Salary Awards and the Undergraduate Research Spring Symposium.

For both of these programs, UROP relies on graduate students, postdocs, staff, and faculty to help us evaluate undergraduate students' proposals or presentations and provide valuable feedback. If you are interested in contributing as a reviewer, please complete the form below. We're always open to reviewers! Thank you!

As an undergraduate at one of the foremost institutions in the nation, there are many reasons to delve into research. Undergraduate research sparks critical thinking and creativity. By engaging in research and scholarship, students actively contribute to discovery and deepen their understanding within and beyond the classroom. Research is the innate pursuit of progress and service and the catalyst of innovation. We work to enhance it.

For Students

Research opportunities.

Research Programs

How to Apply

For Faculty

Mentoring resources.

NSF REU Supplement

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Division of Student Success and Well-Being

How to Get Started

Get the skills you need to find an undergraduate research experience that is right for you! OUR can help you:

• Learn more about becoming an undergraduate researcher
• Find a faculty mentor
• Develop an email to contact potential faculty mentors
• Find the grants, programs, and experiences that are right for you

We provide four resources to help students get involved in research. 

Research Roadmap

The online Research Roadmap Webcourse is a non-credit, self-paced course that introduces students to research opportunities at UCF. It will give you all of the same information as a Peer Mentoring Session or a Workshop, but at your own pace. The course will provide individualized feedback to you on draft emails to faculty mentors and other preparation activities. You can obtain the Password for the Research Positions Database through Research Roadmaps.

Students who complete the first three modules during the semester in which they enroll in Research Roadmap have the opportunity to earn a Certificate of Completion.

Peer Mentoring

Meet with an experienced undergraduate researcher who will talk to you about how to get started as well as how we can support you throughout your research experiences. Peer Mentoring is available through appointment only. Some appointments are in-person, while others will be hosted via Zoom (more information is available when you schedule your appointment).

Getting Started Workshops

This workshop is led by an OUR staff member and covers how to find a faculty member to work with and the first step to get started in research. 

TO ATTEND A WORKSHOP: Click on the link attached to the workshop you would like to attend. Register using your UCF E MAIL , and you will receive an email link to the workshop.

Introduction to Research Courses

We offer two 1 credit hour courses to help current students get engaged in undergraduate research. Both courses give an overview of everything you need to know to get started but in different formats. 

• Summer Research Academy (SRA)  – a fast-paced, 3-day event in July; ideal for students who want to begin research in the fall.
• Introduction to Research  & Creative Scholarship Opportunities (I.N.T.R.O.) Mentoring Program– a semester-long (fall or spring semester), immersive, classroom experience. 

If you need captioning access or another accommodation in order to participate in any OUR virtual event, please contact [email protected]. At least 48 hours notice best assures that we can coordinate necessary access.

Excellence, Innovation, and Distinction

Illinois Office of Undergraduate Research

How to Get Started

• What is Research?
• Get Started
• On-Campus Research Opportunities
• Summer Research Opportunities
• Certificate
• Present & Publish
• Student Spotlight

The University of Illinois is one of the world's leading research-intensive universities with a long and rich history of scholarship, discovery, and innovation. Research at Illinois is diverse and ranges from the humanities and arts to biology and engineering. Undergraduate research opportunities can come in the form of:

• structured research methods or project-based research courses;
• programs sponsored by colleges, school, or departments;
• guided assistantship or independent study under mentorship of faculty, graduate students, or research staff.

Now is the right time to start your undergraduate research journey! We encourage students to start as soon as they are ready. Some students start their research careers as Freshman or Sophomores, while others wait until their Junior or Senior year. Think through why you want to do research, how much time you have available each semester to commit, and how you are going to make the most of this experience.

The Office of Undergraduate Research is here to support you throughout your research journey! For help starting your research journey, be sure to attend one of our Getting Started in Undergraduate Research Workshops , consider scheduling a meeting with an ambassador or member of our staff , and follow our 10-steps to getting started below:

To begin a research project:

Research as Students at Illinois, a registered student organization, is dedicated to providing resources for the undergraduate research community at Illinois. RSI hosts “How to Get Involved in Research” sessions during the fall and spring semesters, as well as guest speakers and social events. Considering joining this group as a way to connect with other researchers on campus.

Follow RSI on Facebook for the latest events.

Think about what interests you. What would you like to learn more about? Find work online and in publications by other people who share your interests. Choose courses that connect to your interests. Go to office hours and seek insight from your professors about the topic you’re considering.

Identify a potential faculty advisor for your work. Consider faculty you know from your courses, research other faculty on campus who are working in your area of interest, or talk to your academic advisor. Read the helpful guidelines for approaching a faculty advisor about a research project.

Explore the research opportunities on this site, or contact the undergraduate student office in your college or department. You don’t have to limit yourself to campus - depending on your field of study, you may find an opportunity that fits your interest at another university or abroad.

After you’ve completed your research project, think about presenting at a conference (including the University of Illinois Undergraduate Research Symposium) or publishing in a journal to bring your findings to a larger audience.

Reflect on how a research experience will benefit you and your academic journey at Illinois and beyond. Use research to explore your interests, deepen your knowledge, develop transferable skills, network with research colleagues, and contribute to a field (to name a few).

Be proactive and develop a plan. When will you begin? How much time will you devote – a few semesters or more? How will you make room for research in your schedule? Remember, research takes time. Work with your academic advisor on developing a balanced course load.  

Broadly speaking, what interests you? Post-colonial South Asian literature? Climate change in the Arctic? Arts-based community development? The rise of Big Data? Learning behaviors in infants? Some combination of these? Students often have many interests, including topics that lie outside their major, and that’s okay! Make a list and rank your interests in order of preference.

Illinois is a public research university with a history of creativity and innovation. Research is everywhere! Now that you’ve identified your interests, find out what programs, internships, or research projects align with those interests. Look through college and departmental webpages, talk to your undergraduate advisor, ask a professor or graduate student, or talk to a friend doing research to identify programs and units.

Undergraduate research is an apprenticeship and requires an effective and supportive mentor. Mentors can be faculty, post-doctoral researchers, research staff, or graduate students. Do your research and find a mentor whose research interests you. To find a mentor: look for research descriptions on departmental webpages; do a keyword search on Illinois Experts to find names of mentors; and leverage your network and enlist friends, professors, and TAs, to aid you in your search.

How does this prospective mentor's research align with your values, interests, and goals? Be sure to reference answers to #1, #2, and #3, above during your reflection. What appeals to you and excites you about their research? What skills and experiences might you gain? Write down these answers - you will use this information when initiating contact.  

Invest time into crafting a personalized email. Include your interests, goals, and ambitions. Reference the information you gathered in #6. Include your major, relevant courses, year in school, any training or skills you might have. Be clear about what you’re looking for: internship? Assistantship? Independent project? Finally, be concise: no more than 300 words or so. PRO TIP: Read and reference their recent scholarship (articles, books, news releases).

Haven’t heard back? Relax; faculty, etc., are busy! Be courteous, polite, professional, and persistent to demonstrate your interest in their research and respect for their time. Usually, you should wait at least 7 days before sending a followup. PRO TIP: Persistence doesn’t mean every day; following up too early or frequently can be a bother.  

Have an interview? Be prepared! Revisit your notes. Prepare a (short) list of questions. Be a few minutes early and bring your resume. Be ready to share why you’d like to work with them. Bring your schedule and be prepared to discuss your weekly availability.

Within 12 hours, send a brief “thank you” email. This will further demonstrate your interest and will also show that you respect and are thankful for their time.  

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Office of Undergraduate Research

4 ways to get into undergrad research, by shahan kamal, our peer research ambassador.

1. Email! Email! Email! The most straightforward way to get an undergraduate research position is to send emails to professors. A simple look at a professor’s profile on their department website will tell you if you’re interested in the research their lab does. Even the slightest bit of interest is reason enough to email the professor and try to set up a meeting. The meeting is your foot in the door–you can talk to them about your career goals, major, research interests, or just let them further explain their work to you. Meetings put you on track to find the research spot that works well for you and get yourself started. The trick is to be resilient–professors are busy and won’t always be able to respond to emails from students they don’t know, so don’t let a few ghosted replies hinder you.

2. Talk to your professors after class Professors like to talk to students and take an interest in them. It’s important if you want to establish a relationship with a professor that you talk to them and get to know each other. This can be after class or in office hours, but you should try to be more than just a nameless face in a crowd to them. Relationships like these open doors for students, and the mentorship a professor can provide you with is invaluable. You might find yourself fascinated by their research and have the opportunity to be an asset to their lab. On the other hand, maybe their research isn’t for you–but just a discussion with them about your preferences can help them guide you in the right direction.

3. Keep an eye on research programs The Office of Undergraduate Research administers funding programs that connect students to research positions. The Health Research Program facilitates connections with researchers at the UConn Health Center, giving students an opportunity to get involved in the cutting-edge research happening at the Farmington campus. The Work-Study Research Assistant Program coordinates opportunities for students to use their work-study award to assist with faculty research. In addition to these programs, you can also apply for funding through the SURF Award Program or the UConn IDEA Grant Program to support ongoing projects or a new project you are taking the lead on designing. Check out all the OUR programs to see what fits.

4. Look for off-campus opportunities Lastly, and arguably the most ignored, is to broaden your search. The Office of Undergraduate Research has an entire page on their website dedicated to showcasing opportunities outside of UConn where students can gain more research experience. Students often think that they’re bound to the campuses in Storrs or Farmington, but there are plenty of other universities and facilities that conduct research who are looking for motivated students to join their projects. On top of the opportunity to do fascinating work, these opportunities will introduce you to some of the brightest minds in the country, opening avenues to further opportunities and expanding your network.

At the end of the day, finding the perfect fit in a research lab is the result of a lot of trial and error, so you can’t be afraid to try. Even when things don’t work out, you’ll have gained experience for it, and experience will always be valuable–and when things do work out, you get to have the best of experiences.

Shahan is a senior majoring in Molecular & Cell Biology. Click here to learn more about Shahan.

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Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)

• REU Program Overview
• Program Solicitation

For Students

• Search for an REU Site
• For Faculty
• REU Contacts
• Research Areas

NSF funds a large number of research opportunities for undergraduate students through its REU Sites program. An REU Site consists of a group of ten or so undergraduates who work in the research programs of the host institution. Each student is associated with a specific research project, where he/she works closely with the faculty and other researchers. Students are granted stipends and, in many cases, assistance with housing and travel. Undergraduate students supported with NSF funds must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions. An REU Site may be at either a US or foreign location.

By using the web page, Search for an REU Site , you may examine opportunities in the subject areas supported by various NSF units. Also, you may search by keywords to identify sites in particular research areas or with certain features, such as a particular location.

• Search UNH.edu
• Search Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research

Commonly Searched Items:

• How to Begin
• Present and Publish
• Researchers
• Student Ambassadors
• Benefactors
• Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP)
• INCO 590 & INCO 790
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A Survival Guide to Summer Research

Let’s face it. The idea of conducting research for the first time can be simultaneously one of the most terrifying and exciting prospects in one’s college career. Whether you plan to pursue a career in research and development, industry, or something completely different, the skills gained through undergraduate research are invaluable. But where do you start?

This is exactly what I was asking myself after my Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) proposal was accepted last year. My project involved the conversion of carbon dioxide into methane through catalysis. My job was to synthesize different catalysts containing varying nickel, titanium dioxide, and varying weight percentages of heteropoly acids to determine its effect on increasing the amount of carbon dioxide converted. Despite having done hours of research to understand the topic enough to write a proposal essay, I still had some doubts about whether I was truly qualified. After completing my project, I can safely say that any similar thoughts you may be experiencing are unfounded.  There were several things that made the learning curve much smoother for me. . While not required, these steps may be beneficial to keep in mind as you begin to embark on your own summer research experience.

Prior to research:

If commuting to campus, get a summer parking permit. It can provide peace of mind to not worry about getting a parking permit at the last second. There are also options for summer on-campus housing if that is preferred.

Clearly outline what your goals are. Depending on the type of research project, this could include minimum amounts of data collected, a certain number of experiments run, the hours you plan to work, etc. Ask your mentor what their expectations are to ensure your goals are aligned.

Create an organizational system. For me, this was one of the first times I had to juggle multiple projects simultaneously outside of school. This can quickly become overwhelming. It is important to organize your time and materials in a way that makes sense to you. For me, this involved a research folder for physical documents and a research computer file with Word documents and Excel sheets. Create backups of any files if possible.

Continue learning. Before your project begins, continue to educate yourself as much as possible on your topic of choice. The UNH library has countless databases filled with scholarly articles that likely align with your research topic. They may provide useful insight on how other professionals explore these ideas or what questions are pertinent.

During your research:

Now for the exciting part. Here are the practices I found most useful for efficient research.

Plan each week. This is a 10-week process. It can be very difficult to utilize your time effectively if you are figuring it out as you go. Once you have a solid understanding of the tasks you do, write down what you hope to accomplish before beginning each week.

This is an example from one of my own weekly plans. Even writing a simple plan made me more motivated to complete tasks. I also used a weekly planner to mark important dates, created folders on my computer to make files easy to retrieve, and backed up my files as much as possible. If you ever need to revisit your work months or years later, it is extremely helpful for it to have its own reliable spot.

Document everything. This goes along with planning to some degree, but write down everything you do, even if it seems inconsequential. There are several reasons for this. First, it will greatly help diagnosing errors if results do not make sense or do not meet expectations. When I was having a problem getting my catalyst to form properly, being able to review every step of the process was invaluable to determine the issue, which was slightly too much deionized water being added. Second, if your results are statistically significant, or if you publish your results, understanding exactly what you did to achieve certain results is crucial. Finally, it will assist with writing your project summary once your summer is complete.

Communication is key. If ever you feel stuck or have concerns about anything related to your project, express them to your mentor. No one expects you to solve every problem alone, and whether it be by email, zoom, or in person, mentors are usually happy to assist in any way they can.

Once your research experience is over:

Congratulations! Hopefully you found the process to be as valuable and rewarding as I did. Besides wrapping up final details, many opportunities can be built off your project if want to continue your work.

Tie up loose ends. While you write your research summary and polish any results, I recommend backing up files, organizing and digitalizing documents, and most importantly, thanking everyone who helped you along the process and expressing appreciation for the opportunity.

Consider publishing your research. Did you know the University of New Hampshire has a research journal? Inquiry is an excellent spot to complete the final step of research, which is publication. If written well, the research summary in your final report can be converted to a research brief with minimal work, or you may choose to undergo a longer writing and revision process to publish a full-length research article.

Update your resume and share your experience on LinkedIn. This project likely taught you countless invaluable skills that employers would love to see from prospective employees.

Hopefully these tips help you feel more confident throughout your summer and prove to be as useful as I found them. Anyone can conduct research and there are countless resources available to those ready to utilize them. Good luck and happy researching!

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The beauty of biology

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When Hanjun Lee arrived at MIT, he was set on becoming a Course 5 chemistry student. Based on his experience in high school, biology was all about rote memorization.

That changed when he took course  7.03 (Genetics) , taught by then-professor  Aviv Regev , now head and executive vice president of research and early development at Genentech, and  Peter Reddien , professor of biology and core member and associate director of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.

He notes that friends from other schools don’t cite a single course that changed their major, but he’s not alone in choosing Course 7 because of 7.03.

“Genetics has this interesting force, especially in MIT biology. The department’s historical — and active — role in genetics research ties directly into the way the course is taught,” Lee says. “Biology is about logic, scientific reasoning, and posing the right questions.”

A few years later, as a teaching assistant for class  7.002 (Fundamentals of Experimental Molecular Biology ), he came to value how much care MIT biology professors take in presenting the material for all offered courses.

“I really appreciate how much effort MIT professors put into their teaching,” Lee says. “As a TA, you realize the beauty of how the professors organize these things — because they’re teaching you in a specific way, and you can grasp the beauty of it — there’s a beauty in studying and finding the patterns in nature.”

An undertaking to apply

To attend MIT at all hadn’t exactly been a lifelong dream. In fact, it didn’t occur to Lee that he could or should apply until he represented South Korea at the 49th International Chemistry Olympiad, where he won a Gold Medal in 2017. There, he had the chance to speak with MIT alumni, as well as current and aspiring students. More than half of those aspiring students eventually enrolled, Lee among them.

“Before that, MIT was this nearly mythical institution, so that experience really changed my life,” Lee recalls. “I heard so many different stories from people with so many different backgrounds — all converging towards the same enthusiasm towards science.” 

At the time, Lee was already attending medical school — a six-year undergraduate program in Korea — that would lead to a stable career in medicine. Attending MIT would involve both changing his career plans and uprooting his life, leaving all his friends and family behind.

His parents weren’t especially enthusiastic about his desire to study at MIT, so it was up to Lee to meet the application requirements. He woke up at 3 a.m. to find his own way to the only SAT testing site in South Korea — an undertaking he now recalls with a laugh. In just three months, he had gathered everything he needed; MIT was the only institution in the United States Lee applied to.

He arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 2018 but attended MIT only for a semester before returning to Korea for his two years of mandatory military service.

“During military service, my goal was to read as many papers as possible, because I wondered what topic of science I’m drawn to — and many of the papers I was reading were authored by people I recognized, people who taught biology at MIT,” Lee says. “I became really interested in cancer biology.”

Return to MIT

When he returned to campus, Lee pledged to do everything he could to meet with faculty and discuss their work. To that end, he joined the MIT Undergraduate Research Journal , allowing him to interview professors. He notes that most MIT faculty are enthusiastic about being contacted by undergraduate students.

Stateside, Lee also reached out to Michael Lawrence , an assistant professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School and assistant geneticist at Mass General Cancer Center, about a preprint concerning APOBEC, an enzyme Lee had studied at Seoul National University. Lawrence’s lab was looking into APOBEC and cancer evolution — and the idea that the enzyme might drive drug resistance to cancer treatment.

“Since he joined my lab, I’ve been absolutely amazed by his scientific talents,” Lawrence says. “Hanjun’s scientific maturity and achievements are extremely rare, especially in an undergraduate student.”

Lee has made new discoveries from genomic data and was involved in publishing  a paper in Molecular Cell and  a paper in Nature Genetics . In the latter, the lab identified the source of background noise in chromosome conformation capture experiments, a technique for analyzing chromatin in cells.

Lawrence thinks Lee “is destined for great leadership in science.” In the meantime, Lee has gained valuable insights into how much work these types of achievements require.

“Doing research has been rewarding, but it also taught me to appreciate that science is almost 100 percent about failures,” Lee says. “It is those failures that end up leading you to the path of success.”

Widening the scope

Lee’s personal motto is that to excel in a specific field, one must have a broad sense of what the entire field looks like, and suggests other budding scientists enroll in courses distant from their research area. He also says it was key to see his peers as collaborators rather than competitors, and that each student will excel in their own unique way.

“Your MIT experience is defined by interactions with others,” Lee says. “They will help identify and shape your path.”

For his accomplishments, Lee was recently named an  American Association for Cancer Research Undergraduate Scholar . Last year, he also spoke at the Gordon Research Conference on Cell Growth and Proliferation about his work on the retinoblastoma gene product RB. Lee was also among the 2024 Biology Undergraduate Award Winners, recognized with the Salvador E. Luria Prize for outstanding scholarship and research of publication quality.

Encouraged by positive course evaluations during his time as a TA, Lee hopes to inspire other students in the future through teaching. Lee has recently decided to pursue a PhD in cancer biology at Harvard Medical School, although his interests remain broad.

“I want to explore other fields of biology as well,” he says. “I have so many questions that I want to answer.”

Although initially resistant, Lee’s mother and father are now “immensely proud to be MIT parents” and will be coming to Cambridge in May to celebrate Lee’s graduation.

“Throughout my years here, they’ve been able to see how I’ve changed,” he says. “I don’t think I’m a great scientist, yet, but I now have some sense of how to become one.” 

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FER @ National Conference on Undergraduate Research

The FER Department had four outstanding students that represented the college in this past National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) held in Long Beach, CA. This conference allows selected students to display their research, scholarship, and creative activity in all fields of study. This is an annual event that gives our students the opportunity to learn from all disciplines through promoting a culture of development of networking, gaining professional development, and honing into their research skills. 

Nick Berenson (he, him, his) – Environmental Sciences (BS), Economics (BS). Nick worked with Dr. Erin Sills, Dr. Rajan Parajuli, and 2 PhD candidates.

Nick’s research project and experience @ NCUR: My research was on Urbanization and Community Forestry: Assessing Changing Forest Dynamics and Livelihoods, which studies how people change their dependence on community forests as their proximity to urban influence shifts. I learned a lot about how to accurately present scientific information, communicate with peers about my research, and how to interact with other researchers. Additionally, I got to network with other undergraduates and read about their projects, which helps me gain more insight in the collaboration and connectedness of the scientific community. I was impressed with my peers’ presentations and it made me realize how grateful and lucky I am to have this opportunity, I will definitely cherish it forever.

Andrea Putri – Environmental Technology & Management (BS), Minor: Environmental Toxicology. Andrea worked with Dr. Angela Allen.

Andrea’s research project and experience @ NCUR: I have been working on the water quality issues with Dr. Allen for almost a year. We are focusing on continuous monitoring of several parameters at Little Rock Creek in Southeast Raleigh. Myself and other students (Dom Zecca and Jada West) have been performing and analyzing data to not only present to the community but at conferences as well. NCUR Conference was my first national conference, so I am grateful for that opportunity to present our work. These types of experiences give me the chance to create new connections with other like-minded students/professionals. 

Dominic Zecca  – Environmental Technology & Management (BS), Minors: Biological Sciences and Anthropology. Dominic worked with Dr. Angela Allen.

Dominic’s research project and experience @ NCUR: I did my research with Dr. A and Andrea Putri, and we focused on water quality in Southeast Raleigh. We wanted to see what the effects of urbanization are in this historically marginalized community of Raleigh and if there was a difference in water quality between our sites in Southeast Raleigh and other sites around Raleigh. At the conference, we were able to present our research to a wide variety of students and professors with varying degrees of environmental health knowledge. Furthermore, we were able to connect with everyone we talked to in some way, as water quality and urbanization are issues many places around the US are addressing. This conference was an exciting opportunity to represent NC State and meet new people from all over the US, and it is an experience that I would recommend to other people who are thinking about getting into research or wanting to attend conferences while being a part of the NC State experience. 

Text provided by Dr. Angela Allen, Nick Berenson, Andrea Putri and Dominic Zecca.

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Unique Program Offers Campus Research Opportunities for Online Students

From her home more than 800 miles away, Georgia Tech online master's student  Jasmine Tata  is monitoring fish in aquariums at Georgia Tech.

Tata is a New York-based QA analyst and project manager. She started the  Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS)  program in Fall 2022 and joined FishStalkers last year.

The student-led research program is part of the  School of Biological Sciences'   McGrath Lab . Its researchers use machine learning, computer vision, and other technologies to better understand the evolution of animal behaviors.

One of the lab's research projects studies Lake Malawi cichlids to explore connections between observed behavior and brain function.

The FishStalkers are vital to the project. They collect video, depth, and other data from individual fish using Raspberry Pi single-board computers. This information, coupled with open-source code they developed, allows the group to track, monitor, and classify the behaviors of a fish as it builds and maintains its bower, which is a sand structure these cichlids use to attract mates.

Along with monitoring the research tanks, Tata's contributions include improving the automated collection and analysis of data streaming from the Pis. She's also helping to adapt the data pipeline to work with yellow-head, orange-cap, and other cichlid species.

[RELATED: Georgia Tech's OMSCS Program Celebrates 10th Anniversary]

"I've enjoyed learning more about new problems in a relatively unfamiliar field. In a pure computer science-focused lab, I never would experience the frustrations of data collection that come with biological subjects," said Tata.

"The fish builds bowers on its own schedule, and data collection must accurately capture this, regardless of weekends or holidays."

Tata says her experience with FishStalkers has given her new ideas about presenting data to non-technical team members. The team uses a spreadsheet integrated with data collection scripts running on the Raspberry Pis. The spreadsheet allows someone without technical knowledge to pause, upload data, or start new trials simply by toggling a dropdown.

"This has given me a lot of ideas about how to meet people where they are in terms of technical skills when it comes to user interface design and has encouraged me to learn more about  human-computer interaction ," said Tata.

Tata learned about the  FishStalkers research group  when its founder,  Breanna Shi , reached out through the OMSCS Slack study channel. Shi developed the group through Georgia Tech's Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) program as a mentorship program.

"Given their real-world computer science experience, I wanted to see if there were OMSCS students interested in collaborating on FishStalkers projects and assisting in the mentorship of undergraduate researchers," said Shi. 

Shi is a third-year Ph.D. student studying bioinformatics with minors in machine learning and higher education. She created FishStalkers as a mentorship program because she recognized that undergraduate and masters-level students could feel less valued or isolated in research environments.

"The FishStalkers model empowers all its researchers with the respect and responsibility as a full team member. Whether it's your first week as a FishStalker or your last, you will complete tasks that benefit the research team and yourself," said Shi.

[RELATED: Women-Centered Mentorship Provides Empowerment to Conquer Ph.D.]

Tata's experience in the business world made her a good fit for the FishStalkers program. Shi says Tata contributes valuable insight to the group as a mentor because most students approach the program from a purely academic viewpoint.

"Jasmine, like other OMSCS students, works full-time and attends the OMSCS program part-time. Her roles as a project manager and a software QA analyst allow her to contribute a unique perspective to the FishStalkers group," said Shi.

In addition to sharing her experience mentoring two OMSCS students this semester, Tata has helped Shi overcome some of the inherent challenges of long-distance collaboration. These include creating a sense of interpersonal connection among in-person and remote research team members.

Group meetings host a virtual link to enhance the online research experience. Every member provides progress updates during the sessions. The researchers also virtually check in and out of their research hours in a shared group chat and describe the work completed during their check-out.

"FishStalkers also runs a monthly lab-buddy program where a researcher is paired with a new buddy each month to schedule a 30-minute meeting to chat and learn about each other's work," said Shi.

"These strategies benefit OMSCS students in our group and provide a positive research environment for junior researchers. We seek to incorporate innovative strategies to create an accessible research environment for all students interested in participating in our research," said Shi.

FishStalkers has been such a success that Shi is expanding the model. This fall, Shi will work with OMSCS Executive Director  David Joyner  and OMSCS Associate Director of Research  Nick Lytle  to connect OMSCS students with interdisciplinary research projects in labs across campus.

"My role will be to establish relationships between data collectors and data analyzers to provide a service to non-technical labs across campus and a valuable research experience for OMSCS students," said Shi.

"We will be building from my existing work in image processing in the McGrath Lab and expanding to other labs with data analysis needs. I am very excited to have the experience of growing as a collaborator."

Ben Snedeker, Communications Manager Georgia Tech College of Computing

[email protected]

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Niemi Lab Seeks UG Researcher for FA24

We are seeking an undergraduate student in the Niemi Lab ( https://www.niemilab.com/ ) within the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics on the medical campus. This undergraduate would start in the Fall 2024 Semester.

Our lab focuses on how mitochondria are built, regulated, and maintained across physiological contexts. Projects in the lab include understanding the mechanisms and regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis, determining how select mitochondrial proteins are targeted for degradation, and characterizing how post-translational modifications influence mitochondrial form and function. We work with cell culture systems, mouse-derived primary cells, and mouse model systems. Our long-term goal is to translate our discoveries into new therapeutics options that restore mitochondrial function in human disease.

As an undergraduate student under the supervision of Tessa Lochetto, a graduate student in the lab, you can expect your research activities to include genotyping of mouse strains, immunoblotting, quantitative real-time PCRs, mouse handling, mouse tissue histology, microscopic imaging, and more! Tessa’s projects focus on how regulated phosphorylation is imperative for the health, development, and physiology of skeletal and cardiac muscle.

The expected time commitment is approximately 10 hours/week. This is an excellent opportunity for students who are interested in immersing themselves in wet-lab, physiology-focused research with a plan of applying to graduate school, medical school, or for someone looking for a long-term position (e.g., research technician over a gap year). Lab work can be done for credit, work-study, or hourly pay (potentially). 

Interested applicants should reach out to Tessa Lochetto ( [email protected] ) directly with:

• A resume/CV.
• A brief statement of why you’re interested in our lab and/or the described project(s).
• Would you be more interested in cardiac or skeletal muscle?
• Any prior research experiences?
• What is the time you can commit to during the semesters in the context of your other commitments?

All applications will be considered. Students will be encouraged to present their work at lab meetings, department seminars, and undergraduate research symposiums.

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Upcoming Grad School Planning & Fall Fellowship Information Sessions

If you’re a recent alum or plan to graduate in or before August 2025, let us help you get set for what’s next. Learn more opportunities to extend your learning and impact after you graduate through advanced study and research and a wide variety of fellowship and scholarship opportunities. We’ll be hosting a number of information sessions in the upcoming week and launching our Canvas workshops. If you can’t participate in the info sessions, be sure to register your interest and we’ll share application procedures and information with you separately.

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This information session will provide a general overview of what graduate study is — and what the major awards are. Use this conversation as a way to fine-tune your discernment about opportunities and ask questions.

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With a mission “to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries,” Fulbright Fellowships fund a year of post-graduation study, research, or English teaching in over 160 countries around the world.

Eligibility:  U.S. citizens. No GPA requirements, open to all disciplines and majors.

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The Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships fund postgraduate study in the UK for  scholars and leaders who will dedicate their intellect and energy to the service of the greater good. The Rhodes funds study at Oxford, while the Marshall supports study at any UK institution with a particular focus on ambassadorship. If you are not a US citizen, there are Rhodes Global and Rhodes Jurisdictional competitions, as well.

Eligibility:  Citizenship requirements vary by Rhodes constituency. Marshall applicants must be U.S. citizens. GPA:above 3.7.

STEM Research or STEM Policy at Cambridge: The Churchill and Churchill Kanders Scholarships

Tuesday, May 28, 2024; 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET

The Churchill Scholarship funds an advanced research or study Master’s degree at Cambridge University’s Churchill College for outstanding American students in STEM fields. The Kanders Scholarship funds a Master’s in Public Policy at Cambridge for a STEM background student who aspires to shape scientifically literate policy decisions.

Eligibility:  U.S. citizens, must be senior or have graduated within past 12 months. No GPA requirements.

21st Century Leadership Awards: The Schwarzman Scholarship for Study in China and the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship

Wednesday, May 29, 2024; 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET

The Knight-Hennessy and Schwarzman Scholarships seek 21st-century leaders in all fields who will tackle the world’s biggest challenges with a fully funded Stanford graduate education (Knight-Hennessy) or a one year funded master’s, taught in English, at Beijing’s Tsinghua University (Schwarzman).  There are two Schwarzman competitions: one for students from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao and one for everyone else.

Eligibility:  No citizenship or GPA requirements, open to all disciplines and majors.

The STEM Graduate Fellowships: NSF GRFP, NDSEG, GEM and More

Thursday, May 30, 2024; 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET

There are a number of STEM-focused graduate fellowships that can help you fund a research-based master’s or doctoral degrees in these disciplines: the NSF GRFP, the NDSEG, GEM Fellowships and more.

Eligibility:  Varies by award, but typically U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents. No GPA requirements.

The Foreign Service Fellowships: The Rangel, Pickering, and Payne

Friday, May 31, 2024; 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET

The Thomas Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship, the Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship, and the Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship Program prepare outstanding young people for careers in the US Foreign Service and USAID, helping fund a graduate degree in a relevant policy field.

Eligibility:  US citizenship, GPA above 3.2.

Making a Graduate School Plan

Tuesday, June 4, 2024; 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET

Whether you want to go to graduate school in the US or abroad, earn a master’s or a doctorate, or work in the humanities, the arts, or the sciences–to make it happen, you need a plan.

We’ll walk you through the steps of identifying a right-fit graduate program and planning the who, what, when, where, and how of applying to graduate schools.

Eligibility:  Those applying to research-based master’s or doctoral programs in fall of 2024.

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