how to conduct undergraduate research

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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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Why conduct undergraduate research?

Discover first-hand how research contributes to the advancement of human knowledge. Experience a change of pace from formal classroom activities and gain skills applicable to both research and non-research careers. Studies show that students who engage in research are twice as likely to graduate, five-times more likely to go on to graduate school, and have more successful careers after graduation.

Various opportunities are available for students to pursue a research experience during their Purdue undergraduate career:

• On-campus and off-campus
• Academic year and summer
• Credit and non-credit
• University and industry
• Domestic and international

In addition to this webpage, there are many resources on the OUR website that can help you in your search for undergraduate research opportunities.

Step 1: Define your interests

• Which subject areas interest you the most?
• Which topics in your coursework or outside interests appeal to you?
• Do you have a specific project in mind?
• Do you want to discover what existing opportunities are available?

You will spend a lot of time and effort on research – and your research advisor will expend significant time and resources to mentor you – so you need to find a project that excites you. The experience will not be enjoyable or as productive if it is only to build your resumé/CV or to earn academic credit. A research project can require a greater time commitment than another class.

Step 2: Identify possible research mentors

Locating a research mentor takes some work and here are various methods you can use to identify potential.

• Browse Purdue websites (including the Office of Undergraduate Research website) to learn about faculty and staff in your area(s) of interest. Most faculty and staff have websites with their research interests and CVs.   Search sites like google.com and scholar.google.com for additional background information.
• Ask current or previous undergraduate researchers about their projects and mentors.
• Ask your professors and teaching assistants for suggestions and recommendations.
• Attend scholarly and research seminars hosted by colleges, departments, and other campus offices. Look at the schedule ahead of time and do background research on the topic and/or presenter(s) to get a better idea of the project.
• Read news articles to learn what is happening across campus and find out about new research projects and grants. Follow websites and social media for the Office of Undergraduate Research, Purdue Exponent, Purdue Libraries, John Martinson Honors College, and your college and department.
• Talk with individuals in the department(s) of interest including academic advisors, faculty, staff, undergraduate students, and graduate students. If a class topic interests you, discuss your interest with the instructor or your academic advisor.

Step 3: Meet your potential research mentors

• Read faculty or staff pages on Purdue’s website.
• Search each potential research mentor using Purdue Libraries or  Google Scholar .

Tip: Go one step further and search co-authors on papers for potential mentors.

• Remember email etiquette when contacting potential research mentors keeping in mind being respectful and polite .
• Take the time to write an individualized email to each potential research mentor.  It is another step that indicates your specific interest in their work rather than bulk emails that are obviously written with the purpose of finding any opportunity.
• Be sure they understand you are contacting a few potential research mentors to learn about various research projects in your area of interest. This will help convey to them you are seeking the best fit for your interests and abilities and they could offer other suggestions.
• Be specific in your email about your interests and why you are contacting them – to talk about their research program and your professional goals.
• If a lab manager, postdoc, and/or graduate student work in the potential research mentor’s program, you can express that you would welcome the opportunity to speak with whoever is available.
• In your initial email, do not ask if they will mentor you or fund your research project – this will come up during or after the first meeting.

Be prepared

• Show up slightly early to ensure that you are not late.
• Practice your “ elevator pitch ,” which includes why you are interested in a research experience and in their particular program. It should not last more than a few minutes.
• Be sure to cover your interest in getting involved with their research program.
• Follow-up . You want to make sure that a great conversation continues. You should send a thank you note/email to acknowledge their time and to elaborate on why you would enjoy working with them. Also, you should follow-up with anything that was requested of you during the meeting, such as a recommendation contact or a writing sample.

What questions to consider asking faculty?

Here are several appropriate questions you could ask:

• Do you have a research project that needs an undergraduate student’s help?
• How did you get involved with this particular area of research?
• Where does funding come from for your research?  (Only ask if you were unable to find this information online.)
• What are the typical responsibilities for undergraduate students engaged in your research?  And what are your expectations of them?
• What skills or characteristics do you expect an undergraduate to have before beginning a project with you?
• Are there specific courses you suggest that I take?  Or skills that I should develop?
• Do you have any suggestions for other research mentors for me to contact?

Step 4: Select a research mentor and start work on a project

• Search for available funding opportunities
• Talk with your new research advisor about the possibility of earning academic credit for your participation. Departments use variable course titles (ex. 39XXX, 49XXX, or 59XXX) and follow the guideline of 1 credit for every 3 hours/week of research.
• Complete the Undergraduate Research Learning Contract  ( PDF of contract for discussion ) with your research mentor. This does not register you for your course credit.
• Complete Responsible Conduct of Research training.

Common Question: I am new to research and cannot find a research project, but I am still really wanting to start on a project? What should I do? Do researchers take undergrads without experience?

Yes, researchers do take undergraduates without much experience - we all start somewhere. However, it can take time to locate those who fit your interests AND are available, looking for new students, and can train students in their area. 

There are some other options to consider if you are starting out in your research career to gain skills and experience in an area such as:

• A student work position that is within a department/unit/lab/center that is connected to research that you are interested in working with. You never know through the power of networks if you could then be the next undergraduate researcher, but you will have a skillset to market.
• A CURE (course-based undergraduate research experience) where an authentic research question/project is worked on throughout a course and you are learning research skills to employ in the project.
• A summer research position at Purdue or at other institutions where some programs emphasize hiring students without research experience. Most programs begin opening their applications in Nov/Dec preceding the summer of the experience. You can focus on searching and applying to summer programs.
• A campus department that could be working on a project area that you are interested in and would like to provide support in a research capacity. Departments could have a list of potential research questions they would like to consider, but they may not have the students who have expressed interest.
• A community organization that may have similar interests that you share that you could work with on projects with the guidance of an expert as a mentor, either in the organization or a Purdue researcher.
• A student organization that has research projects as part of their regular activities.

Dr. Jianming Li in the College of Veterinary Medicine has created a "Tips" sheet from a faculty member's perspective on what undergraduate students should consider and do if they want to complete an undergraduate research experience.

SAGE Research Methods  has a lot of information that could be useful in your search for opportunities and beginning a research project.

(Some information adopted from the University of Missouri's undergraduate research office website.)

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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!

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What Is CUR’s Definition of Undergraduate Research?

Undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry is fundamentally a pedagogical approach to teaching and learning. With an emphasis on process, CUR defines undergraduate research as: A mentored investigation or creative inquiry conducted by undergraduates that seeks to make a scholarly or artistic contribution to knowledge. 

What Are the Benefits of Undergraduate Research?

• Enhances student learning through mentoring relationships with faculty
• Increases retention and graduation in academic programs
• Increases enrollment in graduate education and provides effective career preparation
• Develops critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and intellectual independence
• Develops an understanding of research methodology
• Promotes an innovation-oriented culture
• Develops competencies that speak to career-readiness

How Does CUR Support Undergraduate Research?

CUR, incorporated in 1980, is an organization of individual, institutional, and affiliate members from around the world. CUR members share a focus on providing high-quality and collaborative undergraduate research, scholarly, and creative activity opportunities for faculty and students. CUR believes that faculty members enhance their teaching and contribution to society by remaining active in research and by involving undergraduates in research and that students engaged in undergraduate research succeed in their studies and professional advancement.

Among the many activities and networking opportunities that CUR provides, the organization also offers support for the professional growth of faculty and administrators through expert-designed institutes, conferences, and a wide range of volunteer positions. The CUR community continues to provide a platform for discussion and other resources related to mentoring, connecting, and creating relationships centered around undergraduate research. CUR’s advocacy efforts are also a large portion of its work as we strive to strengthen support for undergraduate research. Its continued growth in connections with representatives, private foundations, government agencies, and campuses worldwide provides value to its members and gives voice to undergraduate research.

CUR is committed to inclusivity and diversity in all its activities and our community.

We are your resource. We are the community. We are mentoring. We are CUR.

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Lynx life library, stories | library | search, steps to being an undergraduate researcher, find out how to get involved with research and creative activities at cu denver.

Step 1: Question: Investigation and creative inquiry always starts with a question- I wonder why or how or what? For example, who made up the Irish population in Leadville, CO in the late 1800s? Where do you learn to conduct research in the field of computational chemistry? What are the effects of anti-immigrant rhetoric on a person’s health? How do you build a keyboard using open-source instrument builders? Through the process of finding the answers to those questions, CU Denver students are researchers and creative scholars:

“ Because I was able to conduct my own research as an undergraduate, I have more confidence talking about my research - I was the one who planned, worked, and finished my research. I want to do this for the majority of my career- I love being an academic and I plan to continue in school through my PhD!” Daisy Wanless — Physics Researcher

“I think communication was one of the main things I improved upon this year. Although not perfect, I better understood not only how to communicate with my peers, but with researchers from other disciplines. I enjoy the work of doing research and have found a passion in educating myself and investigating topics in an in-depth manner.” Vrishank Bikumalla — Chemistry Researcher Step 3: Share: Even the most interesting findings won’t go very far without being shared! Our undergraduate researchers and creative scholars present and communicate their projects every year at the annual Research and Creative Activities Symposium (RaCAS) ! Here you can see first-hand what students just like you are working on. From science projects understanding diabetes and insulin secretion to art installations of petroglyphs depicting Colorado’s endangered species - RaCAS is a huge celebration of student-driven research and creative activities! “I was so excited that so many undergraduate researchers were all in the same place, all with high energy and so much curiosity. It really fired me up that there were so many like-minded people in the same place simultaneously, all pursuing their passions. It's just an inspiring time.”   Julianna Wright — Biology Researcher

Don’t take our word for it, come see for yourself on April 28, 2023! Did you know? You can present any research or creative project you’ve been involved in! Do you work in a research lab? Are you writing a compelling paper in class? Want to give a performance, show a film you are working on, or showcase your art? Submit a RaCAS abstract today!

It's ok if your project is still in early stages, RaCAS is an opportunity to get feedback about your work along the way.

Additional examples:

• Senior and master's theses
• Capstone projects
• Dissertations
• Original art
• Performances
• Media presentations
• Independent study projects
• Internship activities 

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What is undergraduate research, what is research.

Research across disciplines is the  systematic production of new knowledge . The process often includes the following:

• Developing a research question(s);
• Identifying where the research question(s) fits within existing knowledge, often accomplished through a literature review;
• Designing the method of investigating the question and securing the appropriate permissions to conduct your research;
• Collecting and analyzing data/materials, drawing conclusions from that analysis;
• Writing about, presenting and publishing your findings.

You can read more about how "research" is defined nationally by the  NSF/OECD Frascati Manual  (an applicable definition across disciplines and fields)  here .

What is undergraduate research and creative inquiry?

In keeping with national definitions, CCRF defines undergraduate research as follows: 

Undergraduate research is a scholarly or creative investigation that contributes to the systematic production of new knowledge; it is a meaningful activity undertaken with the guidance of a faculty member or other research mentor(s) and is used to enrich the College academic curriculum and student experience through enhanced critical thinking skills and a greater understanding of a chosen discipline(s) and its methodologies.

CCRF joins the  Council on Undergraduate Research  in their endorsement of scholarship by Drs. Jeffrey M. Osborn and Kerry K. Karukstis who argue that four common threads must run through  every undergraduate research activity  on any campus:

• Mentorship.  A serious, collaborative interaction between the faculty mentor and student, in which the student is intellectually engaged in the scholarly problem or project
• Originality.  The student makes a meaningful and authentic contribution to the scholarly problem or project, and the work must be entirely or partially novel
• Acceptability.  Employing techniques and methodologies that are appropriate and recognized by the discipline with a problem or project that includes a reflective and synthetic component
• Dissemination.  Includes a final tangible product for which both the process and results are peer-reviewed, juried, or judged in a manner consistent with disciplinary standards

The term “undergraduate research” encompasses faculty- or discipline-expert directed scholarly research activities and creative endeavors.  CCRF recognizes that these experiences may range from historical scholarship, curatorial research, and laboratory experiences to music composition, creative writing, dramaturgy and data analysis in the social sciences. 

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Research and innovation menu, research and innovation, defining undergraduate research.

As a faculty member, you know what research is. You also recognize and respect that what counts as research is unique to each discipline. This perspective – a working knowledge of research coupled with a scholarly regard for research and creative scholarship in other disciplines – is an essential starting point for understanding undergraduate research and creative scholarship.

Undergraduate students come into higher education at various levels of knowledge, skills, and abilities. It is likely that many of the students have not been exposed to rigorous academic research, possess vague ideas of what faculty research looks like, and may be intimidated by the concept.  However, they do know that research is a vital part of a university and they do appreciate that faculty who are productive researchers translate to the university and their discipline having prestige.  And more importantly, they are at a stage in their life when they are most eager to learn and explore their interests, and are therefore ripe to discover the joys of inquiry and discovery.

This setting illuminates the difficulty with defining undergraduate research.  It is not simply undergraduate students conducting research in the same arenas as faculty, using the same research methods and techniques, and working towards contributing original knowledge.  While that is an important part, a more accurate definition of research includes the learning, education, and developmental components that students go through as they learn about and experience academic research.  To further conceptualize this understanding, think back to your own undergraduate education and your first encounter with research.

• How would you describe that experience?
• What were some of they key moments and characteristics?
• Who were the key players?
• Why were you successful?
• How did you overcome challenges?

Contemplating and answering these questions is crucial to understanding undergraduate research and creative scholarship. All of these attributes, factors, and forces are what defines undergraduate research and creative scholarship. It isn’t simply a project, a report, publication, or presentation.  It is the experience — the learning, the intellectual growth and development, the acquisition of skills, the maturation of thought and self, and the fostering of an inquiring and critical mind.

It is from this perspective that the difference between research conducted at the undergraduate level and that which is conducted at the graduate level and beyond is revealed.  It is the pursuit of not only the answers to the research question, but also the pursuit of the positive outcomes associated with student learning and growth. It involves maintaining the ideals of rigorous and ethical research while simultaneously developing students as scholars.

Therefore, how we think about undergraduate research and creative scholarship is more important than how we define it.  Taking this approach allows us to use a broad definition of research that results in increased synergy between teaching and research (Colbeck, 1998; Healey & Jenkins, 2009; Jenkins & Healey, 2005; Zamorski, 2002), which can lead to beneficial educational activities for undergraduate students.

Next – The Teaching-Research Nexus

Suggested Readings

• Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship
• Colbeck, C. (1998). Merging in a seamless blend.  The Journal of Higher Education.  69(6), 647-671.
• Healey, M. & Jenkins, A. (2009).  D eveloping undergraduate research and inquiry.  Research report to the Higher Education Academy.
• Jenkins, A. and Healey, M. (2005).  Institutional strategies to link teaching and research.  York: The Higher Education Academy.
• Zamorski, B. (2002). Research-led teaching and learning in higher education: a case,  Teaching in Higher Education.  7(4), 411–427.

Mentoring Undergraduate Research Directory

What is Research?

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

Research is independent study and discovery in a field of interest. In the sciences, research is usually conducted in a laboratory led by a Principal Investigator (PI) – this is the faculty member who runs a research project. Research addresses a hypothesis, or scientific question. New student researchers typically join an ongoing project in a faculty’s lab and are often trained & supervised by postdoctoral scholars & graduate students.

WHY CONDUCT RESEARCH?

• Conducting independent study complements your studies, your academic goals, and your professional goals
• UCLA is a world-class research institution with prestigious faculty conducting original research in their fields. Take advantage of the resources available to you
• Find out if a career in research is right for you
• Get valuable research experience to make you a competitive applicant for graduate or professional school
• Research can serve as valuable work experience to make you a competitive applicant for your future career
• Earn university credit and funding for your research
• Build meaningful relationships with and receive mentorship from faculty and lab members

Conducting research as an undergraduate is an excellent way to gain experiences and skills that will benefit you both academically and professionally. In addition to exploring your areas of interest, undergraduate research develops skills in collaborative learning and critical thinking. For students interested in pursuing graduate or professional school, undergraduate research is a way of expanding your education outside of the classroom and better preparing yourself for the rigors of graduate study. Even if you are unsure about graduate studies, conducting undergraduate research is a way of exploring your research interests and testing the suitability of a research career to your interests.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

Some questions to ask yourself as you plan your research are:

• What subjects am I interested in and passionate about?
• How much time can I commit to research?
• Will I need financial support to conduct research throughout the summer and academic year?
• What do I want to gain from my research experience?
• How can I best prepare myself academically and professionally to do research?
• What courses should I take that will complement the work I do?
• What safety courses will I need to take to do research in my field or lab?

The better you plan your academic coursework, the better you will be able to organize your time for research. Whatever your future professional and academic plans are, gaining experience in research will enhance your application and your preparedness for more self-directed research.

Once you have evaluated your research interests and organized your time, the next step is finding a faculty mentor. As part of a collaborative research team, you will need to find the right position both for you and your potential research lab.

You can also take part in UC Online’s ‘Introduction to Research’ class available through the Cross-Campus Enrollment System (CCES). This introductory course will help you understand what research means and provide guidance in how to find a research position.

Do you have a question about getting involved in research? Send us a message through Message Center ( Topic: Beginning Undergraduate Research )!

Build your independent project

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Building on your course work or earlier research experiences, you may have an idea for an independent project in your field. It is important to consider the time scale and resources you will have to work on such a project. Begin by meeting with  faculty mentors  who have expertise on the topic. It may take time and several meetings to create a plan for success.

How to plan a successful project

Every project is unique, but successful projects have one thing in common: they are developed with the help of a faculty mentor. As you begin to plan your project, here are some things you might discuss with your mentor.

• How your idea fits within the larger framework of your faculty mentor’s research or artistic expertise
• How to focus your project idea into a well-defined topic
• What steps you will take to investigate the research question or to create your art
• What additional preparation you will need before starting the work
• How your topic relates to existing works in the field, and what additional works you should examine
• How to create a feasible timeline for the project

Build your project

• Learn about past work on your topic and build a foundation for your project.
• Develop a central idea.
• Meet with your faculty mentors to seek feedback on your ideas and guidance for next steps. (You will need to do this more than once as you develop your ideas and plan further.)
• Create a project plan and evaluate your ideas. 
• Use all this preparation to develop a grant proposal if your project requires funding. 

You Might Also Be Interested In...

Assemble Your Research Toolbox

Prepare for Your Off Campus Project

How Undergraduates Benefit From Doing Research

Undergraduate research isn't just for STEM subjects.

Benefits of Undergraduate Research

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Studies show students who participate in research earn better grades, are more likely to graduate and are better equipped for graduate school or careers.

Jessica Stewart understands from personal experience the value of doing research as a college undergraduate. In her junior year at the University of California, Berkeley , Stewart worked with art historian Darcy Grimaldo Grigsby on her book, "Colossal," researching the Suez Canal, Eiffel Tower and other massive art and engineering monuments.

She loved the research so much that she went on to get her Ph.D. in art history. Almost 20 years after working on "Colossal," Stewart now directs the program that gave her the opportunity: UC Berkeley’s Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program.

But the initial benefit of doing undergraduate research was even more practical. When she was deciding which projects to apply for as an undergraduate, she got to explore many academic disciplines. This process opened her eyes.

“From the moment I set foot on campus, URAP allowed me to see what kinds of ideas I could study,” Stewart says. “The research and credit are great, but there’s this wayfinding side, too, where students can learn who researchers are, what research looks like and fields they may not have had any exposure to.”

A long tradition at some universities, mentored research projects are now offered at undergraduate institutions around the U.S. While many programs started out focused on science, today most universities offer opportunities across disciplines, including all aspects of STEM as well as architecture, business and theater arts.

No matter the subject area, research participation is an asset for undergrads. Studies show students who participate earn better grades , are more likely to graduate and are better equipped for graduate school or careers.

“It’s often most transformative for nontraditional learners and underrepresented students,” Stewart says. “They learn to triangulate life experience and studies in ways that may not have been intuitive for them. It greatly improves academic performance, retention and persistence.”

Research Roots in STEM

Every year, 6,000 undergraduates participate in research experiences through the National Science Foundation, mostly during the summer. Projects span nearly 20 subject areas , such as astronomy and ocean sciences. Most take place in the U.S., but some research is done abroad, including a marine sciences project at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences.

Experiences like these increase students’ confidence in their research skills and boost awareness of what graduate school will be like, according to a 2018 study . They also help students identify whether they want to pursue a science career.

“It’s one of the best ways to recruit students into STEM careers and retain them,” says Corby Hovis, a program director at the NSF's Division of Undergraduate Education. “That’s why we do it. It’s an effective way to get students from classrooms into doing STEM.”

The NSF is especially interested in applications from students who might not have had past opportunities to do research, including those who are the first in their families to attend college, and Black and Latino students.

Research institutions apply for NSF grants to mentor undergraduate students and guide them through participation in an ongoing project. For students, the experience includes orientation and training, as well as a stipend and allowances for housing and travel. In most cases, students write a paper about their contribution to research and may even present at a conference or seminar.

Some opportunities require that students have specific math courses under their belts, but all focus on helping students build other skills, aside from lab or research techniques, that they’ll need for future academic work or careers.

“Communicating clearly the results of research is a skill that could carry over into any field,” Hovis says. “The teamwork and cohort experience not only encourages them to continue in science, but (is) translatable to any number of other activities they will do later on.”

Connecting With Faculty

At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , research has been part of the undergraduate experience for more than 50 years. Some students choose the school specifically for this reason, and more than 90% of students participate. As at other schools, research is part of a bigger initiative around experiential learning, which also includes service learning and study abroad .

The biggest challenge for students is usually figuring out what kind of research they’re interested in.

“We depend on students to do some of that footwork,” says Michael Bergren, director of MIT's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. “There are a lot of supports, but at the end of the day a student needs to understand what they’re interested in, who's doing the work they’re interested in and what the steps are to participating in that research.”

But there is hand-holding, if needed. Before applying to work on a project, students have to approach the lead faculty member and introduce themselves.

“This is really intimidating. We don’t take that for granted,” Bergren says. “Part of life skills development is approaching a lab or faculty member and advocating for themselves.”

Peers offer tips about how to navigate that face-to-face encounter, such as find out a faculty member's office hours, send an email with a resume attached and attend a departmental event.

The networking doesn’t stop there. Get to know which graduate students work on the project, talk to other students who might be exploring the same opportunities and make sure you know what the work involves.

“As the research progresses, deliverables amp up,” Bergren says. “You may find you need to put more time into this right when finals are happening.”

The Future of Undergraduate Research

Some undergraduate researchers might share their work at academic conferences or seminars, or even be published in journals. Some might participate in the Council on Undergraduate Research annual conference , the largest symposium of its kind. Every year, more than 4,000 students attend a graduate school and career fair and present work that spans the disciplines.

Students have come to expect that they’ll get a chance to do research as undergrads, says Lindsay Currie, the council's director.

“More recent generations grew up in a different climate. They learned by doing in classrooms,” Currie says. “That, combined with a workforce that expects people to have lived experience, means students want to be able to say that they’ve already done research as part of their coursework.”

What’s next, Currie says, is universities that integrate research into coursework so that students start a project their first year and continue through their time in college. Working with a network of universities, the Council on Undergraduate Research has completed a study of how schools can modify their curricula to incorporate research from the very beginning.

“Starting as freshmen, students would work on research that would build,” Currie says. “This would be significantly more advanced projects that would be consistent across the particular department. This is how they’re going to teach, because they know students benefit from doing.”

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Undergraduate Research at Vanderbilt

Frequently asked questions.

• Can any student do undergraduate research?
• What opportunities are available to undergraduates?
• Are undergraduates allowed to conduct research outside of their chosen major or school?
• Are there opportunities for undergraduates to conduct research at the Vanderbilt Medical Center?
• How soon can I get involved in research as an undergraduate?
• How much of a time commitment is undergraduate research?
• Am I responsible for finding my own funding?
• Are there opportunities to publish and/or present at professional conferences as an undergraduate?
• Can I get academic credit for research?
• Is research a required part of the undergraduate experience?
• What is undergraduate research?
• Why do undergraduate research?

Q: Can any student do undergraduate research? A: Yes!  It all depends on how proactive you wish to be.  Some programs or departments have requirements (class standing, GPA, etc.) but there are plenty of additional opportunities to supplement or complement department programs. Talk to your professors, classmates, and advisors about your interests and passions.

Q: What opportunities are available to undergraduates? A: Opportunities are so common and varied that it is hard to list all of them comprehensively. Most students who show an interest find research opportunities with professors and graduate students. Some students work for a few hours per week for a semester or two, just to try it out. For other students, research is the focus of their Vanderbilt experience by the time they are juniors and seniors. Research opportunities exist on campus for students in any school and any major. Some students spend their summers doing research through programs like the VUSRP, and others pursue research opportunities off campus at government labs, industry labs, or at other universities.

Q: Are undergraduates allowed to conduct research outside of their chosen major or school? A: Students are encouraged to pursue research that may be outside of their major or even outside of their school. Involvement depends on the discretion of the professor conducting the research and not on a student’s declared major and minor, though students are encouraged to consider what they will bring to a particular research project.

Q: Are there opportunities for students to conduct research at the Vanderbilt Medical Center? A: Absolutely! Students can pursue medical research opportunities through the Health Professions Advisory Office . Some students read about professors’ research projects in the Medical Center on the Vanderbilt University Medical Center website and email professors directly to find out if they can be involved. Students also may apply for clinical research projects through the Vanderbilt Clinical Research Connection .

Q: How soon can I get involved in research as an undergraduate? A: Some proactive students get involved in research as soon as the second semester of their first year, but most students who participate in research get involved after their first year. Though it can be tempting to jump into doing research right away, students interested in research are encouraged to spend time reaching out to professors and to students with research experience to find the opportunities in which they will be the most passionate and gain the best experience, instead of committing to whatever opportunity seems most convenient right away.

Q. How much of a time commitment is undergraduate research? A: The time commitment between research projects can vary widely, although our recent survey of students suggests that most students involved in research spend between 3 to 12 hours per week dedicated to research activities. Most Vanderbilt summer programs are advertised as full-time positions (approximately 40 hours per week), so students may not be able to both do undergraduate research and take summer classes simultaneously.

Q: Am I responsible for finding my own funding? A: Not likely. Most research projects are paid for by a professors’ research funding. Some students earn stipends through a research program or earn scholarship money awarded through programs advertised through the Office of Honor Scholarships or through other sources.

Q: Are there opportunities to publish and/or present at professional conferences as an undergraduate? A: Yes! About 12% of students in our survey reported that they have published their research, so it is certainly a possibility! Students can apply to have their research published in the Vanderbilt Undergraduate Research Journal , which is a peer-reviewed indexed journal. Also based on our survey, 9% of students presented their works at conferences that were off-campus. Students should consult with a faculty mentor about opportunities to present at academic conferences.

Q: Can I get academic credit for research? A: Yes, in some cases. It depends on the research opportunity and the guidelines of your department. Survey results show that nearly one third of all Vanderbilt students have received some kind of academic credit for their research.

Q: Is research a required part of the undergraduate experience? A: While research is optional at all four schools, many departments have honors programs that require research. In the College of Arts & Science, departmental honors students are required to do research. Eligibility for departmental honors varies by department and typically students enter the honors program during their junior year. At Peabody College, first-year students can apply to the Peabody Scholars Program . In this program, juniors are required to engage in an independent research project with a Peabody professor. In the School of Engineering, students in honors programs are required to do an independent study and/or research. The Blair School of Music has an honors program in Music Literature and History that requires independent study and a senior honors thesis.

Q: What is undergraduate research?

The Council for Undergraduate Research defines undergraduate research as “an inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline.”

Though many people falsely assume that only professors or graduate students are involved in research, in reality research is integrated into many of our undergraduate academic courses and is featured as the capstone experience in a number of majors. Undergraduate research runs the gamut from biology research in a laboratory to music performance at a senior honors recital. While “research” may conjure images of white lab coats or stacks of leather bound library books, creative activities expand the definition of research to a modern and interdisciplinary realm. From 2D artwork to live performances to artistic historical investigations, many Vanderbilt students expand their academic experiences to a stage, a gallery, or popular media. Many of our undergraduate students also conduct interdisciplinary research across majors, fields, and schools.

Research can also take place in many places and at many times. Vanderbilt offers an exceptional number of opportunities for undergraduate students to do research over the summer, but many students also partake in research right alongside their classwork in Fall and Spring semesters. And although many students do research right here at Vanderbilt, many students also travel to other universities, other cities, other countries, or are supported by types of institutions like government laboratories or privately owned corporations and foundations. Finally, students are not limited by class year, as students from all four years regularly partake in research.

Samples of recent undergraduate research projects and creative activities include:

-Examining the relationship between speech patterns and language in music

-Traveling to New York City to study performing art as a form of activism

-Measuring lung cancer cell growth and drug response in different tissue environments

-Comparing the acoustic properties of speech for preschool students who stutter and those who do not

-Studying corruption in Latin America to predict the public’s acceptance of a military coup

-Working on an archaeological dig in Peru

-Assisting a visiting art professor build bikes with battery powered stereos

-Using an unpublished 15th century book from the Vanderbilt library collection to see how the text and images support women’s devotions in the Middle Ages

-Shadowing and analyzing the behavior of school principles in different school settings

-Creating and updating Wikipedia articles for the Vanderbilt Library Special Collections

Q: What is undergraduate research? A: Participating in research and creative activities as an undergraduate student is a hands-on way to develop problem solving, critical thinking, and professional skills. Research extends learning beyond the classroom and allows one to deepen relationships with faculty and staff, prepare for competitive graduate programs, and develop marketable skills for future employment. Plus, there is the unique thrill of doing something completely novel, fresh, and untried in your discipline! The benefits of undergraduate research are numerous. It can positively affect the educational, professional, and personal aspects of a college student’s life. (The following lists are borrowed from The Ohio State University: http://undergraduateresearch.osu.edu/getstarted/whyresearch.htm )

Educational benefits include:

Working closely with a faculty mentor and other experienced researchers Learning about issues, methods, and leaders in students’ chosen fields Applying concepts learned in coursework to “real life” situations Sharpening problem-solving skills Learning to read primary literature

Professional benefits include:

Exploring and preparing for future careers Developing marketable skills Enhancing professional communication skills Collaborating with others and working effectively as part of a team

Personal benefits include:

Growing as a critical, analytical, and independent thinker Meeting challenges and demonstrating the ability to complete a project Discovering personal interests Developing internal standards of excellence

Below are quotes from undergraduates about what they found to be the most rewarding part of their research experience (quotes taken from VSG survey):

• “Being part of a research group that is on the cutting edge of human knowledge and capabilities”
• “Earning the experiences to talk about in interviews and for future job opportunities”
• “Getting to work on something that seems really small but may have greater implications for possible treatment of certain diseases. It’s a lot of work, but in the end I enjoy going more in depth on things that I just graze over in class and am expected to regurgitate for a test.”
• “I do research with children ages 1-4. Every second with them is rewarding.”
• “The most rewarding components of my research were both the experience and the feeling of accomplishment.”
• “Actively working to change something I’m interested in”
• “Being independent and accomplishing research tasks.”
• “Being able to design my own research project: from the question to the results”
• “Getting to do original research, finding out things that nobody knew before I did the work”
• “I enjoy the feeling of discovery.”
• “Learning about interesting, unconventional, and groundbreaking material”
• “Learning techniques that will be invaluable to me in terms of academic and research success”
• “Meeting other people who are interested in the same things I am and figuring out how to account for different variables in human studies”

How Do I Get Started in Research?

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One major perk of being a Stanford student is that you will have opportunities to do original research with the Stanford faculty. Faculty across the university are engaged in research, and if you are interested in joining them in their pursuit, it will be up to you to get the ball rolling.

Ways of doing research

Generally speaking, there are two ways Stanford students can engage in research:

• You can assist a faculty member with their research project
• You can pursue your own  independent research project  (guided by a faculty mentor), where the research question and methodology are determined by you

Some students just assist in faculty research and then decide that they are not interested in pursuing their own research project. Other students don’t get involved in research until the day they are ready to propose their own independent project. And some students will pursue both options: usually they assist a faculty member earlier in their Stanford career, and then engage in their own independent research project later on.

How can I get involved with faculty research?

Assisting a professor with their research project can teach you valuable new skills, help you determine whether or not you enjoy the research process, and prompt you to think about whether you may want to design your own research project someday. There are many ways you can get involved.

Apply to a structured research program

During the summer, many departments and centers will have a research program that hires dozens of students for full-time summer work. Be sure to check the  list of departments and centers that receive VPUE funding,  as these are the most likely places to find such  summer research programs . There are also several summer research programs that are not funded by VPUE, such as the  Bio-X Program  and the  NeURO Fellowship Program.  The  Stanford On & Off-Campus Learning Opportunities (SOLO)  site is another place to search for research programs to apply to.

Note that most summer research programs will have their application deadlines either late in Autumn quarter or during Winter quarter.

In addition to these summer research programs, be aware that there are also structured research programs that happen at other times during the year. If you are interested in the Humanities, for example, check out the  Humanities Research Intensive  program, which happens over spring break (applications due in Autumn). And if you are interested in sciences and engineering, consider the  ChEM-H Undergraduate Scholars Program,  which runs from winter quarter through the following fall (applications due in Autumn).  

Check job ads on mailing lists, newsletters, SOLO, and Handshake

Professors looking for research assistants often advertise over email (especially on their departmental mailing lists), on the weekly  Academic Advising Newsletter,  on  SOLO,  or on  Handshake.  If you’re not on any departmental mailing lists, ask the department’s  Student Services Officer  if you can be added to a mailing list for current or prospective majors. Job postings may happen during any quarter, and are usually for only one or two students for part-time work.  

Connect with a professor you already know

There is no better place to start learning about research than chatting with a professor you may already know through classes or other connections. Rather than asking for a job up front, we recommend asking to meet during office hours to get advice on getting started in research. While it is possible your professor may have a research position open, you can still gain valuable tips and connections even if they have nothing available for you at the moment. Remember to ask what other faculty members your professor recommends that you reach out to if you are interested in doing research in this subject.  

Reach out to a professor you haven't met yet

If you have a topic of interest, but don’t yet know any professors working in that field, your first step is to find out which faculty are working on that topic.

• Visit the department webpage  for departments most closely related to your topic of interest. Take a look at the Faculty Profiles to find information about the research interests of the faculty associated with these departments.  
• Visit the Student Services Officer  in the departments most closely related to your topic of interest. The  Student Services Officer  can talk with you about your interests and try to help you identify one or more faculty whose research you may want to learn more about.

Once you have identified the faculty whose research most interests you, visit their office hours or send them an email to request a meeting for further conversation about their research interests and your own. Again, rather than asking for a job up front, we recommend asking to meet during office hours to get advice on getting started in research. Remember to ask what other faculty members your professor recommends that you reach out to if you are interested in doing research in this subject.

More Suggestions for Finding Faculty

• How to Email Faculty
• Connecting with Faculty  (including our Networking with Faculty video presentation)

Further Help

If you are uncertain about any of these steps, go talk with your  Academic Advisor ! They guide students at all stages of the research process to help them identify faculty and future mentors, think about how to start the conversation, and more. They are also good people to turn to when interested in getting  funding for an independent project.

• Undergrad Research at Stanford
• What type of Student Grant is best for your needs?
• Getting Started With Undergraduate Research: Options and Opportunities (video)
• How do I pursue an independent project?
• Research Gave Meaning to My Undergraduate Years (Todd Davies, Symbolic Systems)

Return to the Advising Student Handbook

• Support Research

Research Insights

Teaching students life skills through undergraduate research and innovation.

One of the highlights of my Harbor Lights lab in the College of Veterinary Medicine is the bustle of interdisciplinary, vertically integrated research activities: a postdoctoral fellow working with a graduate student and an enthusiastic team of undergraduates, moving together toward a common goal.

• Post author By jennbryant
• Post date April 1, 2024

One of the highlights of my Harbor Lights lab in the College of Veterinary Medicine is the bustle of interdisciplinary, vertically integrated research activities: a postdoctoral fellow working with a graduate student and an enthusiastic team of undergraduates, moving together toward a common goal. The laboratory is filled with creative energy as novice researchers learn from their more experienced colleagues, who in turn often learn new things simply from the fresh perspective their junior lab mates bring to the work. Five vastly different disciplines are represented under the unifying umbrella of the sixth discipline – veterinary medicine.

Environments like this are great examples of the university fulfilling its land-grant mission. Undergraduate students participating in experiential learning fuses together the two pillars of education and research unlike any other activity.

I view teaching and research as inseparable and simply two points on a continuum. At a research-intensive university like UGA, it’s often impossible to tease them apart. We routinely move concepts introduced in class into research discussions, just as on occasion we might bring research materials into the classroom to demonstrate key points. When postdoctoral fellows and graduate students help undergraduates perform a task or design a protocol, they are not just conducting research—they are  teaching .

Indeed, the benefits to undergraduates who are included in research stretch far beyond simply teaching them the specific tasks they perform in the lab (or the field, or the studio, or wherever the creative inquiry happens). They learn to communicate and collaborate with their colleagues. They learn critical thinking skills. They learn not to be stymied by failure—which, as all of you know, happens a  lot  in research and innovation.

In short, they learn things that will transfer directly into the rest of their day and even into their post-college careers, whether in research or any other pursuit. The experience is life shaping.

This is a quick snapshot of why I’m such a huge supporter of UGA’s  Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities  (CURO). Based in the Morehead Honors College but open to any UGA undergraduate, CURO works with hundreds of students each year, pairing them with faculty mentors across the university. (CURO was also the subject of our  most recent Research Live , which I highly encourage you to check out if you’re not familiar with the program.)

To be sure, CURO’s tangible benefits are many. Participating students register for courses with the “R” suffix (4960R, 4970R, 4980R) and receive experiential learning credit. CURO awards  $1,000 scholarships  to 500 students each year, as well as  summer research fellowships . The program also awards  conference participation grants  that support students’ ability to travel and present their work in a professional setting. Incoming first-year students can apply for the  CURO Honors Scholarship , which provides $3,000 per year and is renewable up to four years.

The highlight of the year is the annual  CURO Symposium , which features 10-minute student research presentations and a truly impressive poster session. Celebrating its 25 th  anniversary this year, the 2024 CURO Symposium will be held April 8-9 in the Classic Center and will feature more than 600 students from a wide variety of schools of departments.

Many of the presenting students are first-year or transfer students, and that’s another way undergraduate research can make the difference in an individual’s college career. Just think back to what brand-new students face at a large university. They may know few people. They may never have been inside a college classroom or laboratory or studio or field station. They may be away from home for the first time. It can be overwhelming.

So imagine you are a student new to UGA, and you are recruited to a research project. You’re given a simple, manageable role, one that perhaps occupies only a few hours per week. You meet people, including fellow undergrads, to whom you can turn with questions. You start to build your networking skills, develop your research identity, preview future areas of technical interest, and learn about your discipline of choice. You feel comfortable engaging in discussions with faculty, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and staff members.

Most importantly, you begin to learn that success is defined not by achieving the end point you envision for every experiment, but by doing the work thoughtfully, being persistent and tenacious, being a problem solver, and embracing unexpected results. By not giving up when something goes wrong. By leaning on your colleagues and together persevering through the challenges. And by believing that some of life’s biggest lessons are learned through failure and that it is normal and OK to fail.

These are a few of the lessons I want the students in my lab to learn: If they combine sound engineering and science principles with a determined grit, the satisfaction of being a contributing member of a global research community will come.

Last year  when I attended the CURO Symposium, I couldn’t help but grin. I looked at the rows upon rows of research posters, each filled to its margins with the stories of the students’ work. I saw them eagerly explaining their research to their fellow students, to faculty, to anyone who stopped to listen. I saw a giant room of bright, promising junior researchers who soon will go forth and change the world.

I left confident that our future is in great hands … and I thought, “This is what research and innovation at a land-grant university is all about.”

Best wishes for a smooth end to the semester.

Karen J.L. Burg Vice President for Research Harbor Lights Chair in Biomedical Research

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Undergraduate Research in Chemistry Guide

Research is the pursuit of new knowledge through the process of discovery. Scientific research involves diligent inquiry and systematic observation of phenomena. Most scientific research projects involve experimentation, often requiring testing the effect of changing conditions on the results. The conditions under which specific observations are made must be carefully controlled, and records must be meticulously maintained. This ensures that observations and results can be are reproduced. Scientific research can be basic (fundamental) or applied. What is the difference? The National Science Foundation uses the following definitions in its resource surveys:

• Basic research The objective of basic research is to gain more comprehensive knowledge or understanding of the subject under study, without specific applications in mind. In industry, basic research is defined as research that advances scientific knowledge but does not have specific immediate commercial objectives, although it may be in fields of present or potential commercial interest.
• Applied research Applied research is aimed at gaining knowledge or understanding to determine the means by which a specific, recognized need may be met. In industry, applied research includes investigations oriented to discovering new scientific knowledge that has specific commercial objectives with respect to products, processes, or services.

Get on the path to graduate school with our comprehensive guide to selecting an institution and preparing for graduate studies.

What is research at the undergraduate level?

At the undergraduate level, research is self-directed work under the guidance and supervision of a mentor/advisor ― usually a university professor. A gradual transition towards independence is encouraged as a student gains confidence and is able to work with minor supervision. Students normally participate in an ongoing research project and investigate phenomena of interest to them and their advisor. In the chemical sciences, the range of research areas is quite broad. A few groups maintain their research area within a single classical field of analytical, inorganic, organic, physical, chemical education or theoretical chemistry. More commonly, research groups today are interdisciplinary, crossing boundaries across fields and across other disciplines, such as physics, biology, materials science, engineering and medicine.

What are the benefits of being involved in undergraduate research?

There are many benefits to undergraduate research, but the most important are:

• Learning, learning, learning. Most chemists learn by working in a laboratory setting. Information learned in the classroom is more clearly understood and it is more easily remembered once it has been put into practice. This knowledge expands through experience and further reading. From the learning standpoint, research is an extremely productive cycle.
• Experiencing chemistry in a real world setting. The equipment, instrumentation and materials used in research labs are generally more sophisticated, advanced, and of far better quality than those used in lab courses
• Getting the excitement of discovery. If science is truly your vocation, regardless of any negative results, the moment of discovery will be truly exhilarating. Your results are exclusive. No one has ever seen them before.
• Preparing for graduate school. A graduate degree in a chemistry-related science is mostly a research degree. Undergraduate research will not only give you an excellent foundation, but working alongside graduate students and post-doctorates will provide you with a unique opportunity to learn what it will be like.

Is undergraduate research required for graduation?

Many chemistry programs now require undergraduate research for graduation. There are plenty of opportunities for undergraduate students to get involved in research, either during the academic year, summer, or both. If your home institution is not research intensive, you may find opportunities at other institutions, government labs, and industries.

What will I learn by participating in an undergraduate research program?

Conducting a research project involves a series of steps that start at the inquiry level and end in a report. In the process, you learn to:

• Conduct scientific literature searches
• Read, interpret and extract information from journal articles relevant to the project
• Design experimental procedures to obtain data and/or products of interest
• Operate instruments and implement laboratory techniques not usually available in laboratories associated with course work
• Interpret results, reach conclusions, and generate new ideas based on results
• Interact professionally (and socially) with students and professors within the research group, department and school as well as others from different schools, countries, cultures and backgrounds
• Communicate results orally and in writing to other peers, mentors, faculty advisors, and members of the scientific community at large via the following informal group meeting presentations, reports to mentor/advisor, poster presentations at college-wide, regional, national or international meetings; formal oral presentations at scientific meetings; or journal articles prepared for publication

When should I get involved in undergraduate research?

Chemistry is an experimental science. We recommended that you get involved in research as early in your college life as possible. Ample undergraduate research experience gives you an edge in the eyes of potential employers and graduate programs.

While most mentors prefer to accept students in their research labs once they have developed some basic lab skills through general and organic lab courses, some institutions have programs that involve students in research projects the summer prior to their freshman year. Others even involve senior high school students in summer research programs. Ask your academic/departmental advisor about the options available to you.

How much time should I allocate to research?

The quick answer is as much as possible without jeopardizing your course work. The rule of thumb is to spend 3 to 4 hours working in the lab for every credit hour in which you enroll. However, depending on the project, some progress can be achieved in just 3-4 hours of research/week. Most advisors would recommend 8-10 hours/week.

Depending on your project, a few of those hours may be of intense work and the rest may be spent simply monitoring the progress of a reaction or an instrumental analysis. Many research groups work on weekends. Saturdays are excellent days for long, uninterrupted periods of lab work.

How do I select an advisor?

This is probably the most important step in getting involved in undergraduate research. The best approach is multifaceted. Get informed about research areas and projects available in your department, which are usually posted on your departmental website under each professor’s name.

Talk to other students who are already involved in research. If your school has an ACS Student Chapter , make a point to talk to the chapter’s members. Ask your current chemistry professor and lab instructor for advice. They can usually guide you in the right direction. If a particular research area catches your interest, make an appointment with the corresponding professor.

Let the professor know that you are considering getting involved in research, you have read a bit about her/his research program, and that you would like to find out more. Professors understand that students are not experts in the field, and they will explain their research at a level that you will be able to follow. Here are some recommended questions to ask when you meet with this advisor:

• Is there a project(s) within her/his research program suitable for an undergraduate student?
• Does she/he have a position/space in the lab for you?
• If you were to work in her/his lab, would you be supervised directly by her/him or by a graduate student? If it is a graduate student, make a point of meeting with the student and other members of the research group. Determine if their schedule matches yours. A night owl may not be able to work effectively with a morning person.
• Does she/he have funding to support the project? Unfunded projects may indicate that there may not be enough resources in the lab to carry out the project to completion. It may also be an indication that funding agencies/peers do not consider this work sufficiently important enough for funding support. Of course there are exceptions. For example, a newly hired assistant professor may not have external funding yet, but he/she may have received “start-up funds” from the university and certainly has the vote of confidence of the rest of the faculty. Otherwise he/she would not have been hired. Another classical exception is computational chemistry research, for which mostly fast computers are necessary and therefore external funding is needed to support research assistants and computer equipment only. No chemicals, glassware, or instrumentation will be found in a computational chemistry lab.
• How many of his/her articles got published in the last two or three years? When prior work has been published, it is a good indicator that the research is considered worthwhile by the scientific community that reviews articles for publication. Ask for printed references. Number of publications in reputable refereed journals (for example ACS journals) is an excellent indicator of the reputation of the researcher and the quality of his/her work.

Here is one last piece of advice: If the project really excites you and you get satisfactory answers to all your questions, make sure that you and the advisor will get along and that you will enjoy working with him/her and other members of the research group.

Remember that this advisor may be writing recommendation letters on your behalf to future employers, graduate schools, etc., so you want to leave a good impression. To do this, you should understand that the research must move forward and that if you become part of a research team, you should do your best to achieve this goal. At the same time, your advisor should understand your obligations to your course work and provide you with a degree of flexibility.

Ultimately, it is your responsibility to do your best on both course work and research. Make sure that the advisor is committed to supervising you as much as you are committed to doing the required work and putting in the necessary/agreed upon hours.

What are some potential challenges?

• Time management . Each project is unique, and it will be up to you and your supervisor to decide when to be in the lab and how to best utilize the time available to move the project forward.
• Different approaches and styles . Not everyone is as clean and respectful of the equipment of others as you are. Not everyone is as punctual as you are. Not everyone follows safety procedures as diligently as you do. Some groups have established protocols for keeping the lab and equipment clean, for borrowing equipment from other members, for handling common equipment, for research meetings, for specific safety procedures, etc. Part of learning to work in a team is to avoid unnecessary conflict while establishing your ground to doing your work efficiently.
• “The project does not work.” This is a statement that advisors commonly hear from students. Although projects are generally very well conceived, and it is people that make projects work, the nature of research is such that it requires patience, perseverance, critical thinking, and on many occasions, a change in direction. Thoroughness, attention to detail, and comprehensive notes are crucial when reporting the progress of a project.

Be informed, attentive, analytical, and objective. Read all the background information. Read user manuals for instruments and equipment. In many instances the reason for failure may be related to dirty equipment, contaminated reagents, improperly set instruments, poorly chosen conditions, lack of thoroughness, and/or lack of resourcefulness. Repeating a procedure while changing one parameter may work sometimes, while repeating the procedure multiple times without systematic changes and observations probably will not.

When reporting failures or problems, make sure that you have all details at hand. Be thorough in you assessment. Then ask questions. Advisors usually have sufficient experience to detect errors in procedures and are able to lead you in the right direction when the student is able to provide all the necessary details. They also have enough experience to know when to change directions. Many times one result may be unexpected, but it may be interesting enough to lead the investigation into a totally different avenue. Communicate with your advisor/mentor often.

Are there places other than my institution where I can conduct research?

Absolutely! Your school may be close to other universities, government labs and/or industries that offer part-time research opportunities during the academic year. There may also be summer opportunities in these institutions as well as in REU sites (see next question).

Contact your chemistry department advisor first. He/she may have some information readily available for you. You can also contact nearby universities, local industries and government labs directly or through the career center at your school. You can also find listings through ACS resources:

• Research Opportunities (US only)
• International Research Opportunities
• Internships and Summer Jobs

What are Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) sites? When should I apply for a position in one of them?

REU is a program established by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support active research participation by undergraduate students at host institutions in the United States or abroad. An REU site may offer projects within a single department/discipline or it may have projects that are inter-departmental and interdisciplinary. There are currently over 70 domestic and approximately 5 international REU sites with a chemistry theme. Sites consist of 10-12 students each, although there are larger sites that supplement NSF funding with other sources. Students receive stipends and, in most cases, assistance with housing and travel.

Most REU sites invite rising juniors and rising seniors to participate in research during the summer. Experience in research is not required to apply, except for international sites where at least one semester or summer of prior research experience is recommended. Applications usually open around November or December for participation during the following summer. Undergraduate students supported with NSF funds must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions. Some REU sites with supplementary funds from other sources may accept international students that are enrolled at US institutions.

• Get more information about REU sites

How do I prepare a scientific research poster?

Here are some links to sites with very useful information and samples.

• How to Prepare a Proper Scientific Paper or Poster
• Creating Effective Poster Presentations
• Designing Effective Poster Presentations

Research and Internship Opportunities

• Internships and Fellowships Find internships, fellowships, and cooperative education opportunities.
• SCI Scholars Internship Program Industrial internships for chemistry and chemical engineering undergraduates.
• ACS International Center Fellowships, scholarships, and research opportunities around the globe

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FAQs about Research

• Why do research? There is a synergy between research and classroom learning. Research enables students to engage in hands-on, discovery-based learning, to develop critical skills while examining a subject in collaboration with outstanding scientists and scholars, and to contribute to the production of knowledge. Go to the interviews of our featured  Researchers of the Month  and see what students say about the benefits of research!
• When can I start? All Stony Brook undergraduates—including freshmen and transfer students—are eligible to participate in independent supervised research and creative activities. Most students earn academic credit for their research activities (e.g. 487, 488, and/or 499 courses), although a small number of students are able to be paid as research assistants. Many students begin as volunteers in a lab, and then apply for credit once they are more familiar with the lab environment. SB students engaged in a supervised research or creative project are encouraged to register (even it is for zero credits) so that the university can track the number of students involved in research. An early start on research can be valuable; but keep in mind that preparatory coursework may be required by a faculty mentor and may provide a necessary foundation for doing substantial research later in your undergraduate career. Students who undertake independent projects in their junior and senior years still have the opportunity to collaborate with Stony Brook faculty, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and to become involved in cutting-edge work.
• Should I do research in the summer? Opportunities are particularly good during the summer when many universities offer programs in a wide variety of subjects. These programs enable students to have a sustained, in-depth research experience. Participants usually receive a stipend, and free room, board and roundtrip airfare as well. Please note that most summer fellowship programs require a full time commitment (i.e. no other coursework or employment).
• Is there funding available? Check  On-Campus Opportunities  for updates and announcements regarding research fellowships, grants and internships. The URECA program offers URECA small/travel grants as well as a summer program for students doing faculty-mentored research. In addition, externally-funded programs such as REU Site Programs and/or NSF Fellowship supplements may provide stipend support for students engaged in research on and off campus.
• Social science projects: do I need approval by the Human Subjects Board? For more info, please check with your mentor and review the policies of the Research Foundation.
• If I'm accepted into a lab, do I need any special training? For lab safety training, consult the  Environmental Health & Safety website . You may, for instance, need to take ELS 002 (Lab Safety-Chem Hazards) and ENV 001 (Hazardous Waste Management). Consult with your mentor whether ELS 003 (Biohazards) is required. In addition, undergraduate researchers should be aware of the university policies on Responsible Conduct of Research. Please see:  http://www.stonybrook.edu/policy/policies.shtml?ID=211  and complete the relevant On-line Training modules through the web-based Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI).

Your best information about a particular lab will probably come from talking with other students or with members of the lab, including graduate students, technicians and post docs. You may also wish to consult such practical guides as At the Bench: A Laboratory Navigator by Kathy Barker (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 1998).

*More great, practical advice is available online at:  WebGuru  and through the  UCI Student Researchers' Handbook .

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NASA Selects Students for Europa Clipper Intern Program

NASA has selected 40 undergraduate students for the first year of its Europa ICONS (Inspiring Clipper: Opportunities for Next-generation Scientists) internship program, supporting the agency’s  Europa Clipper mission. Europa ICONS matches students with mentors from the mission’s science team for a 10-week program to conduct original scientific research on topics related to the mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa. 

The program is planned to run every year until Europa Clipper completes its prime mission in 2034 and is open to applications from all U.S. undergraduate STEM majors, with preference given to students from non-high research activity universities and underserved institutions.

ICONS internships may be in-person at the mentor's institution, virtual, or hybrid, depending on the research project and needs of the mentor and intern. As part of the program, students and mentors will convene for a two-day meeting at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California. The first Europa ICONS internship will run Monday, June 3 through Friday, Aug. 9.

The students selected for the Europa ICONS program in 2024 are:

Sarah Ruetschle, John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio

Cole Anderson, University of California, Santa Cruz

Hamza Ouriour, Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston

Ethan Piacenti, Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois

Jared Bouck, Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona

Kayla Blair, Northern Arizona University

Carly Davis, McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana

Matthew Perkins, Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, Colorado

Angela Zhang, Cornell University in Ithaca, New York

Arianna Rodriguez Ortiz, University of Puerto Rico–Mayaguez

Beverly Malugin Ayala, University of Puerto Rico–Mayaguez

Jeansel Johnson-Ayala, University of Puerto Rico–Rio Piedras 

Akemi Takeuchi, University of Maryland, College Park

Sofia Merchant-Dest, University of Maryland–University College in Adelphi

Gradon Robbins, University of Florida in Gainesville

Jason Sioeng, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Tyler Yuen, San Jose State University in San Jose, California

Dallin Nelson, Southern Utah University in Cedar City

Eric Stinemetz, University of Houston–Downtown

Lucas Nerbonne, Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont

Hope Jerris, Middlebury College

Jacob Dietrich, Indiana University, Southeast in New Albany

Jocelyn Mateo, Lorain County Community College in Elyria, Ohio

Samuel Brown, San Diego Mesa College in San Diego

Madison Stanford, Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles

Bryce McGimsey, Solano Community College in Fairfield, California

Noah Alayon, CUNY LaGuardia Community College in Queens, New York

Trevor Erwin, University of Texas at Austin

Ava Frost, Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts

Brianna Casey, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York

Fatima Mendoza, Texas Tech University in Lubbock

Daniel Voyles, Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California

Swaroop Sathyanarayanan, Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta

Jay Patel, Louisiana State University College of Engineering in Baton Rouge

Juliane Keiper, Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts

Emori Long, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee

Scott Chang, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Hayden Ferrell, Arizona State University in Tempe

Isabella Musto, Denison University in Granville, Ohio

Elizabeth Kirby, College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina

The Europa Clipper mission’s three main science objectives are to determine the thickness of the moon’s icy shell and its surface interactions with the ocean below, to investigate its composition, and to characterize its geology. The mission’s detailed exploration of Europa will help scientists better understand the astrobiological potential for habitable worlds beyond our planet.

The Europa ICONS program is managed by the Planetary Science Division within NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington and is part of a larger effort known as Clipper Next Gen, a decade-long strategy using the Europa Clipper mission to train and diversify the next generation of planetary scientists.

Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL leads the development of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. APL designed the main spacecraft body in collaboration with JPL and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The Planetary Missions Program Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission.

For more information on the Europa ICONS program, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/planetary-science/europa-clipper-icons-internships/

Karen Fox / Charles Blue Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1257 / 202-802-5345 [email protected] / [email protected]

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Undergraduate student links worm behavior to brain disease

by Katherine Egan Bennett, University of Texas at Arlington

As an undergraduate student in The University of Texas at Arlington's Honors College, Hannah Selvarathinam knew she wanted to conduct research. Near the end of her first year at UTA, the Keller native reached out to the lab of biology Assistant Professor Piya Ghose.

"Hannah has been a very impressive scholar from Day 1," Ghose said. "She had the foresight to reach out for research opportunities very early on."

Ghose brought Selvarathinam in to work on one of the lab's core projects related to the genetics of cell death, modeled in the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans. Selvarathinam's work eventually led to her honors thesis, focused on brain health and behavior. The result is a new publication detailing the genes affecting worm behavior that also are relevant to neurological disease in humans.

The findings are published in the journal microPublication Biology .

"Through combing the literature and discussing her findings with me, she was able to make connections between the genes she was already studying as part of her cell biology project with her undergraduate psychology major and interests in human health," Ghose said. "Hannah drove this project and regularly communicated with me for guidance and to share her exciting results. She took on the brave task of adapting and optimizing a published behavioral protocol for her project, which is exceptional for such a young trainee."

For her study, Selvarathinam leveraged the fact that worms have similarities in their genes to humans and predictable behaviors that are easy to study. She optimized an experimental protocol that aimed to link the mental illness schizophrenia to neurodegenerative disease using worm behavior.

"Normally, worms spend much of their time eating. But if they are interrupted by physical insult, they briefly stop in a manner similar to the startle response in humans," Selvarathinam said.

Schizophrenia has similar symptoms, and one hallmark is abnormal reactivity to a continued stimulus. Essentially, individuals with the illness take longer to become accustomed to a stimulus than those without.

"What we found in our study is that healthy worms, as expected, momentarily stopped eating when they were exposed to a stimulus, but soon continued to eat again," Selvarathinam explained. "But for worms with mutations in many of the neurodegeneration genes, such as with those related to hereditary spastic paraplegia and Alzheimer's disease, they continued to eat even after being exposed to the stimulus, which shows a heightened startle response.

"Our publication adds another building block to our understanding of brain disease in the hopes of finding a cure and also highlights C.elegans as a powerful model organism to pursue this goal."

After completing her honors thesis and graduating in winter 2022, Selvarathinam began working as a technician in Ghose's lab while preparing applications for medical school. She's now on track with another peer-reviewed publication for work she has done assisting on one of the lab's cell death projects.

"My research experience complements my goal to practice medicine by teaching me many transferable skills, such as reading scientific literature and applying my knowledge to solve problems and answer interesting questions," Selvarathinam said. "I am grateful for the opportunities I have had at UTA and for the chance to work with the Ghose Lab team. I am also thankful to the Honors College for its wonderful capstone project program. I encourage students to reach out to professors and seek out research opportunities here at UTA."

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• Apply to UMaine

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Biosafety NIH Revisions – Effective Sept. 30, 2024

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued revisions to the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules (external link) as of April 2024 – these revisions will become effective on September 30, 2024. The revisions include:

• New requirements for conducting research involving Gene Drive Modified Organisms (GDMOs)
• Replacing the term “helper viruses” with the broader term “helper systems”
• Amending the Risk Group (RG) categorization of West Nile Virus (WNV) and Saint Louis Encephalitis Virus (SLEV) to RG2

More details about these revisions are available in the Federal Register Notice: Final Action Under the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules (external link) .

The NIH Guidelines are used by the university’s Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) to review the use of biological materials and biohazards in research. More information about any changes to UMaine’s biosafety forms and/or policy resulting from these NIH revisions will be announced prior to the effective date. 

If you have any questions regarding biosafety or the NIH revisions, please contact the IBC .

Scientist II

• Madison, Wisconsin
• COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL & LIFE SCIENCES/ANIMAL AND DAIRY SCIENCES
• Staff-Full Time
• Opening at: May 2 2024 at 16:50 CDT
• Closing at: May 17 2024 at 23:55 CDT

Job Summary:

The selected candidate for this position will serve as a key member of the Guo Research Group. A successful candidate must (1) Develop new research projects with existing animal models in Guo lab; (2) Design laboratory experiments with molecular and cellular tools; (3) collect and analyze the experimental data, troubleshoot experiments and adjust experimental designs as necessary; (4) conduct research on molecular and cellular function as well as and animal model characterizations; (5) supervise undergraduate and graduate students; (6) prepare grant proposals and scientific manuscripts and abstracts. The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) is committed to maintaining and growing a culture that embraces diversity, inclusion, and equity, believing that these values are foundational elements of our excellence and fundamental components of a positive and enriching learning and working environment for all students, faculty, and staff. At CALS, we acknowledge that bias, prejudice, racism, and hate have historically occurred in many forms that cause significant and lasting harm to members of our community. We commit to taking actions each day toward a college that is inclusive and welcoming to all.

Responsibilities:

• 30% Identifies research problems and develops complex research methodologies and procedures
• 10% Collects and analyzes complex research data, conducts experiments and interviews, and documents results according to established policies and procedures under general supervision
• 10% Conducts literature reviews, prepares reports and materials, and disseminates information to appropriate entities
• 5% Attends and assists with the facilitation of scholarly events and presentations in support of continued professional development and the dissemination of research information
• 30% Writes or assists in developing grant applications and proposals to secure research funding
• 5% May supervise the day-to-day activities of a research unit as needed
• 5% Serves as a unit subject matter expert and liaison to internal and external stakeholders providing advanced level information and representing the interests of a specialized research area
• 5% Monitors program budget and approves unit expenditures

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals. The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world. For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

Required Bachelor's Degree Preferred Terminal Degree Ph.D. in Molecular and Integrative Physiology and/or Cell Biology

Qualifications:

-Postdoctoral level laboratory research experience -Experience managing a research program or laboratory -Experience developing new research areas in molecular/cellular biology and physiology -Experience preparing scientific manuscripts and abstracts -Experience writing grants and obtaining research funding -Experience writing and maintaining animal protocols -Experience supervising undergraduate and graduate students

Full Time: 100% It is anticipated this position requires work be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location.

Appointment Type, Duration:

Ongoing/Renewable

Minimum $65,000 ANNUAL (12 months) Depending on Qualifications Actual pay will depend on experience and qualifications. Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as vacation and paid time off; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits. Benefit information at: https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/download/fasl.pdf  

Additional Information:

This position will be scheduled to work 40 hours per week with the intended schedule of Monday through Friday, 7:45am - 4:30pm. Hours will be flexible in order to ensure operational needs are met, and some weekend work may be required.

How to Apply:

Please click on the "Apply Online" button below to start the application process. To apply for this position, you will need to upload a cover letter and resume.

Wes Bollinger [email protected] 608-890-2902 Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Official Title:

Scientist II(RE044)

Department(s):

A07-COL OF AG & LIFE SCIENCES/ANIMAL & DAIRY SCIENCES

Employment Class:

Academic Staff-Renewable

Job Number:

The university of wisconsin-madison is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer..

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