Faculty across all schools, colleges, and disciplines are actively engaged in research and creative projects throughout the year. However, there is no single process for joining a faculty project or research lab as an undergraduate. Each professor sets their own criteria and procedures for selecting student collaborators. Just as every faculty member is different, so too are their expectations for research apprentices. This means you’ll need to approach each opportunity thoughtfully and flexibly.
Use the tips below to begin exploring on-campus opportunities. You can also schedule a meeting with an OUR Advisor for personalized guidance in finding opportunities that fit your goals and interests.
Explore Faculty and Department Resources
Explore Faculty and Department Resources
- Browse department, faculty, and laboratory websites to learn about ongoing projects and faculty research interests.
- Many departments organize faculty into research areas or subfields, which can help you narrow your search.
- Faculty profiles often include publications—reading these can prepare you for conversations about their work.
- Lab websites may also highlight active projects, current lab members (graduate students, post-docs, and undergraduates), and provide guidance on how to apply.
Use Research Tools
Use Research Tools
- Explore Lincus and the UConn Innovation Portal to search faculty expertise by keyword and see how research topics connect across schools, colleges, and campuses.
- Review faculty profiles and lab websites to learn more about the people and projects you discover.
- Check out the Quick Guide to Lincus for tips on using the system effectively.
Connect with Faculty and Instructors
Connect with Faculty and Instructors
- Visit your professors and TAs during office hours to ask about their work and share your own interests.
- Even if they are not currently looking for undergraduate assistants, they may know of colleagues who are.
- Review our Connecting with Faculty resources for tips on starting these conversations.
Learn Through Coursework
Learn Through Coursework
- Enroll in courses with a research or project focus—departmental advisors can help you identify options.
- Even if you’re not working directly with a faculty mentor, these courses help you develop valuable skills and make you a stronger candidate for future opportunities.
Network with Peers
Network with Peers
- Talk with fellow undergraduates who have worked with faculty mentors.
- Attend Frontiers in Undergraduate Research to hear about student projects, ask questions, and connect with faculty through peer introductions.
Take Advantage of OUR and Campus Resources
Take Advantage of OUR and Campus Resources
- Attend an OUR workshop to learn about opportunities and funding programs by OUR.
- Search for positions through the UConn Student Employment platform (12Twenty) or the Center for Career Development’s Handshake database. Use “research” or discipline-specific keywords to find postings.
- Browse research opportunities that faculty submit directly to OUR here.
Note: Not all opportunities are posted on official platforms. Many are shared through department listservs, word-of-mouth, or informal connections. Building relationships and asking questions can uncover some of the best opportunities.
Federal Work-Study and Research
If you have a Federal Work-Study award, you may qualify for OUR’s Work-Study Research Assistant Program, which allows you to earn your award by assisting with faculty research. Even outside of this program, let faculty know about your award—it reduces their cost of hiring you, which may open up additional opportunities.
Making Research a Central Part of Your Studies
If you want research to be a cornerstone of your undergraduate experience, consider:
- Honors Program – where your capstone is an Honors thesis project.
- University Scholar Program – where a major research project anchors your final two years of study.
Both programs require strong academic performance and a formal application.
Off-Campus Opportunities
Research activities are taking place around the U.S. and around the globe in universities, non-profit organizations, private research centers, national labs, government agencies, think tanks, and private companies. Like the research taking place at UConn, these organizations and companies engage in research that spans all fields. From archival research in the Presidential Libraries to biomedical research at a community hospital, there are opportunities for undergraduates from all academic disciplines to get involved.
There is not one place to look for opportunities. You are going to have to utilize many different resources in this process, and spend time researching where the research you’re most interested in is happening. Use the resources and information provided below to begin exploring the possibilities. We recommend you also consult your faculty mentors and the Center for Career Development for additional guidance on opportunities that fit with your goals and interests.
Colleges & Universities
Colleges and Universities around the country have summer research programs and opportunities in all academic disciplines that students can take advantage of. Opportunities may be part of a larger program, such as the NSF REU program (National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates) or can be an internal program run by a college or university.
Databases and Resources:
- NSF REU Database (National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates)
- Pathways to Science
PDFs compiled by the Office of Undergraduate Research:
- External Research Opportunities - Arts Humanities and Social Sciences (11-12-2024)
- External Research Opportunities - STEM (11-12-2024)
Examples of Summer Opportunities:
Government
Many federal, state, and local government agencies and departments have summer research and internship programs. The resources below can help you identify opportunities within the federal government. Students are encouraged to explore state and local government options as well.
Databases and Resources:
PDFs compiled by the Office of Undergraduate Research:
- External Research Opportunities - Arts Humanities and Social Sciences (11-12-2024)
- External Research Opportunities - STEM (11-12-2024)
Examples of Summer Opportunities:
Healthcare/Biomedical
Databases and Resources:
- Association of American Medical Colleges Summer Undergraduate Research Programs
- Fred Hutch Cancer Center - Database of Biomedical Research Opportunities
- Pathways to Science
- Association of Public Health Laboratories Internship Program
- Health Career Connection
- American Association for Cancer Research Database of Opportunities
PDFs compiled by the Office of Undergraduate Research:
- External Research Opportunities - Arts Humanities and Social Sciences (11-12-2024)
- External Research Opportunities - STEM (11-12-2024)
Examples:
- UConn Health Graduate School - Undergraduate Summer Research Internship Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences
- Maine Medical Center Research Institute - Summer Student Research Program
- Scripps Research Institute Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunities
- University of Michigan Medical School - Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunities
- Van Andel Institute - Summer Undergraduate Research Internship Program
Non-Profit Organizations & Private Employers
Databases and Resources:
PDFs compiled by the Office of Undergraduate Research:
- External Research Opportunities - Arts Humanities and Social Sciences (11-12-2024)
- External Research Opportunities - STEM (11-12-2024)
Examples:
- Buck Institute – Summer Scholars Program
- Carter Center Summer Internships
- Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology Undergraduate Research Opportunities
- New York Blood Center Summer Research Program
- Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation – Clinical Research Internship
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Summer Internship Program
- Ocean Exploration Trust - Science & Engineering Internship Program
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Summer Student Fellowship
- The Jackson Lab – Summer Student Program
Professional Associations
Databases and Resources:
- Leadership Alliance
- Amgen Scholars
- Student Conservation Association
- American Psychological Association - Undergraduate Research & Internship Opportunities
- American Association for Cancer Research - Database of Summer Opportunities
PDFs compiled by the Office of Undergraduate Research:
- External Research Opportunities - Arts Humanities and Social Sciences (11-12-2024)
- External Research Opportunities - STEM (11-12-2024)
Examples:
- Acoustical Society of America - Summer Undergraduate Research Experience in Acoustics
- American Association of Physicists in Medicine - Summer Undergraduate Fellowship Program
Develop Your Own Opportunity
Not all opportunities get posted in databases or on websites, and many are not part of structured internship or research programs. This does not make them any less substantial or competitive, but can add additional steps to the process of securing them. Actively pursue unadvertised opportunities by conducting informational interviews with professionals working at organizations of interest, and inquiring directly about opportunities to get involved. Taking time to develop mentoring relationships with professionals in your area(s) of interest can lead to opportunities to assist with their work, and may open doors to positions that may not get widely advertised, if advertised at all.
The resources you can use to identify organizations and contacts vary depending on your field and area of specialization. There are general websites that have information on companies or organizations within their field, such as Idealist.org (which contains profiles of a wide variety of non-profit organizations), as well as specialized websites, such as biospace.com (an online community for life science professionals). You can use sites such as these to determine who is doing work that aligns with your interests. Professional journals and professional associations for your discipline can also help you identify individuals and companies active within the field.
Networking tools such as the UConn Career Network and LinkedIn can help you identify and connect with contacts at companies or organizations. By looking at the profiles of professionals working at companies or organizations of interest, and seeing where they worked at different points in their career, you may also be able to learn about other similar organizations you may want to target in your search for research opportunities.
OUR Peer Research Ambassadors
The OUR Peer Research Ambassadors have shared their experiences and advice in the following Student Research Blog posts:
- Navigating the Summer Research Experience, Part 1: Finding and Narrowing Down Opportunities
- Navigating the Summer Research Experience, Part 2: Preparing Your Application
- Navigating the Summer Research Experience, Part 3: The Research Experience
- Off-Campus Research: My Summer REU
- New Jersey, to Connecticut, to California, and Back
Postbaccalaureate Research Opportunities
Postbaccalaureate research opportunities and programs are a great way to develop or enhance research skills, or to gain greater depth in experience with a particular research topic. They also provide time to prepare applications for advanced degrees.
There is not one place to look for opportunities. You need to utilize many different resources and explore multiple options in this process, and spend time researching where the research you’re most interested in is happening. Use the resources and information provided below to begin exploring the possibilities. We recommend you also consult your faculty mentors and the Center for Career Development for additional guidance on full-time opportunities that fit with your goals and interests.
Resources for College/University Job Search
Resources for College/University Job Search:
You utilize similar tactics for finding a full-time research assistantship as you would in a job search. Many post-baccalaureate research opportunities are full-time positions, with the expectation that you will hold the position for one-to-two years as you determine next steps.
Below are resources that you can utilize to identify full-time opportunities at colleges and universities.
Postbaccalaureate Programs and Resources
These programs provide recent college graduates the opportunity to spend one-to-two years in a full-time research position. The programs typically provide professional development, educational, and career advising to support your next steps.
- NIH Intramural Research Program - Postbac research positions in biomedical, behavioral, and social sciences in one of the NIH Institutes and Centers.
- NSF Accelerated AI Algorithms for Data-Driven Discovery Institute Postbaccalaureate Fellowship Program
- Broad Biomedical Post-Baccalaureate Scholars Program
- JAX Postbaccalaureate Training
- Mayo Clinic Biomedical Ethics Research Program - Post-Baccalaureate Research Assistantship
RaMP – Research and Mentoring for Postbaccalaureates in Biological Sciences Programs
RaMP - Research and Mentoring for Postbaccalaureates in Biological Sciences Programs:
The Research and Mentoring for Postbaccalaureates (RaMP) in Biological Sciences program support full-time research, mentoring and training for recent graduates who had few or no biological research or training opportunities during college.
- UConn RaMP on Genomic Novelty
- NSF RaMP: Post-Baccalaureate Training and Research Program in Rare Plant Science and Conservation
- RaMP: Research and Mentoring for Postbacs: Training Program in Biomolecular Structure Prediction and Design
- UTEP ROADS Post-baccalaureate Program
- STEGG-INTERACT Research and Mentoring for Post-Baccalaureates (RaMP) Program
- RaMP-UP Fellows Program
- Northern Arizona University Research and Mentoring for Postbaccalaureates (RaMP) - Research and Mentoring for Postbaccalaureates (RaMP) – Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes (nau.edu)
Postbaccalaureate Research and Training Graduate Programs
Postbaccalaureate Research and Training Graduate Programs:
- NIH Postbaccalaureate Research Program, National Institute of General Medical Sciences
- American Chemical Society (ACS) Bridge Program
- American Geophysical Union (AGU) Bridge Program
- American Physical Society (APS) Bridge Program
- AAMC Postbaccalaureate Premedical Programs
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Bridge Program