Research Opportunities
Why Do Research?
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 in-depth, undergraduate research develops skills in collaborative learning and critical thinking. For students interested in pursuing grad 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
Taking on research in addition to your regular course load requires excellent time management skills. We recommend that freshman students wait a year before applying to a summer research experience and for applicants to have at least a year of science and one year of college level mathematics completed.
Please Note: The application process for each campus offering an opportunity for conducting research will vary.
Some questions to ask yourself as you plan your research are:
- How much time can I commit to conducting research?
- Will I need financial support to conduct research throughout the summer and academic year?
- What kind of research work interests me?
- What do I want to gain from my research experience?
- How can I best prepare myself academically and professionally to do research?
- 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, gaining experience in undergraduate research will enhance your application and your preparedness for more self-directed research.
Applicants should note that most application deadlines fall between February – March every year.
Down below are myriad of websites that offer additional resources and undergraduate research opportunities.
This is your time to take advantage of the multitude of opportunities you have through applying for various research and internship opportunities!
- RECOMMENDATION LETTER REQUEST FORM 2017– This handout is intended to assist students on how to ask faculty and/or staff letters of recommendation.
- *National Science Foundation – Research Experience for Undergraduates(REU)*
- STEM Undergrads Research Database
- National Institute of Health Program for College Students
- Cal Poly Pomona REU UAV Technology – Due TO BE DETERMINED
- National Science Foundation REU’s for Biology, Chemistry, and Ocean Science Majors– Various Deadlines
- STEMSEAS @ Columbia University– Due March 31, 2020
- Stanford SURGE Program– January 27, 2020
- Tarleton State University REU– Due March 3, 2020
- UCI CHEMISTRY SURF– Due March 1, 2020
- USC School of Pharmacy SURF– Due March 4, 2020
- University of Alabama at Birmingham– Due March 15, 2020
- Cal Poly Pomona REU Big Data Security– Due February 3, 2020
- STAR U Program at Columbia University– Due February 1, 2020
- Oregon State University Marine Science REU– Due February 14, 2020
- University of Alabama Birmingham PARAdiGM– Due February 14, 2020
- Michigan State University SROP– Due February 1, 2020 (Click on MSU Specific application)
- NIST SURF Program– Due February 3, 2020
- University of Buffalo CLIMB UP– Due February 1, 2020
- B.I.G. Computation Biology Summer Research @ UCLA– Due January 5, 2020
- IoT-SITY Research Experience for Computer Science at UC Irvine– Due January 31, 2020
- Northwestern University NanoTechnology REU– Due February 10, 2020
- Washington State University REU– Due February 10, 2020
- Vanderbilt REU– Due February 15, 2020
- University of Oregon Environmental Summer Research in Chemistry, Physics and Materials Science– Due February 15, 2020
- University of Hawai’i, Manoa REU– Due January 31, 2020
- SUROC AT The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill– Due February 10, 2020
- UCLA Technology Leadership Summer Institute– Application Due May 1, 2020
- Cal State Fullerton URE 2019– Due March 2, 2020
- Mystic Aquarium Research Experience– Due March 2020 (Tentative)
- USC Wrigley Marine Science Center– Open January 1, 2020-February 14, 2020
- University of Michigan Chemistry REU– Due February 2020- Tentative (Opens November 2019 depending on funding)
- USC Keck School of Medicine Research Program-Open Early 2020- Due March 2020
- USC Viterbi School of Engineering SURE– Due February 2, 2020
- CBBG Summer Research Experience– Due March 2020 (Tentative)
- NASA L’Space Academy– Summer 2020 Application: May 8, 2020 by 11:59 PDT
- CSULB LSAMP Program– Due Early April 2020 (Tentative)
- CSULB Summer Bridge Program– Due May 1, 2020
- UCLA CCCP Program– Due April 2020 (Tentative)
- USIBR Program @ UC Irvine- Due June 2020 (Tentative)
- UCLA MEDPEP Program– Due May 31, 2020 (2020-2021 cohort)
- CSULB Transfer Student Opportunities– Fall 2020 Transfers, Applications due Early April 2020
- Summer Biomedical Research– Open from Early December- Early March 2020 (Tentative)
- UC San Diego STARS Program– Due January 30, 2020
- Transfer to Excellence Research Program at UC Berkeley- Due February 2nd, 2020
- CAMPARE Summer Research Program-Due Early February 2020 (Tentative)
- Community College Apprentice Research Experience (CCARE) @ CSU Monterey Bay– Due Spring 2020 (Opens Early 2020)
- Cal Tech Physics Summer Research Experience– LIGO SURF Program- Open November 5, 2019-January 17, 2020
- SURF Program at Scripps Research Institution– Due Early February 2020 (Tentative)
- CSULB BUILD Scholars Program-(Fall 2020 Transfers)- Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- CSULB Research Preparation Programs
- CURE REU Energy Program– Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- Summer Research Opportunities- Deadlines Vary
- Take a look at CSU Fullerton Natural Science and Math Department Research Resources
- Pathways to Science
- University of Washington Undergraduate Summer Research
- Physics Society for Student (Research)
- The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
- American Mathematical Society
- UCI’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program -Click on Off-Campus Opportunities
- NASA Student Opportunities
- NASA Micro G NExt– Proposals due Fall
- Alabama State University: REU in Nanobioengineering – Due Early February 2020 (Tentative)
- Auburn University: NSF REU Site in Computational Biology – Due January 2020 (Tentative)
- Auburn University: REU in Aquatic Ecology – Due February 1, 2020
- University of Alabama Summer Program in Neuroscience (SPIN) – Due February 15, 2020
- Northern Arizona University: REU in Environmental Science – Due March 2020 (Tentative)
- University of Arkansas EcoREU – Due January 2020 (Tentative)
- California Academy of Sciences’ Summer Systematics Institute (SSI) – Due Early February 2020- Application Opens November 22, 2019
- Pepperdine University Seaver College Undergraduate Research in Biology – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- Biological Research in Ecological and Evolutionary Developmental Biology (BREED) – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- California Campus REU Program: Structure & Function Summer Institute (SFSI) – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- UC Berkeley REU: Integrating Biology from Molecules to Ecosystems – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- UC Riverside REU Program in Plant Biology – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- Summer Research Program at UCSF – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- Colorado State University: REU in Molecular Biosciences-Due February 1, 2020
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory REU – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- UConn Physiology & Neurobiology REU – Due March 2020 (Tentative)
- Yale University: Research Training in Biology, Physics, & Engineering – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- Natural History Research Experiences (NHRE) – Due January 2020 (Application opens Fall 2019)
- Florida Agricultural & Mechanics University: REU in Genomics, Proteomics & Bioinformatics – Due March 2020 (Tentative)
- University of Georgia: REU in Computational Biology – Due March 1, 2020
- Georgia Southern University: REU in Coastal Plain Science – Due Feb 2020 (Application Opens December 1, 2019
- University of Georgia: REU in Microbiology – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- University of Georgia: REU in Population Biology – Due February 17, 2020 (Opens January 1, 2020)
- REU in Environmental Biology for Pacific Islanders – Due February 2020 ( Tentative)
- University of Hawaii at Manoa: REU in Biodiversity-Due April 2020 (Tentative)
- Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science (PIPES) – Due January 31, 2020
- University of Idaho’s REU in Molecular and Organismal Evolution – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- Chicago Botanic Garden Research Experience – Due January 2020 (Tentative)
- Field Museum’s NSF REU – TO BE DETERMINED
- Synthetic Biology Research Experience for Undergraduates (SynBREU) – Due January 24, 2020
- PRECS: Phenotypic Plasticity Research Experience for Community College Students – Due March 2020 (Opens January 2020- Tentative)
- University of Chicago REU in Cell Biology – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior REU – Due February 15th, 2020 (Opens November 1st, 2019)
- Purdue University: REU in Molecular Biology – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- University of Notre Dame: REU in Molecular Biology – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- University of Iowa: REU in Evolutionary Science – Due February 1, 2020
- University of Iowa: REU in Microbiology – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- Eastern Kentucky University: REU in Ecology – Due February 15, 2020
- University of Kentucky: Biochemistry Summer Program – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- Louisiana State University: REU in Genetics– Due March 31, 2020
- Johns Hopkins University: Rosetta Commons Research Experience for Undergraduates – Due February 1, 2020 ( Opens November 1, 2019)
- Johns Hopkins University BioREU – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- Johns Hopkins University: NanoBio REU – Due February 1, 2020 (Opens November 1, 2019)-
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center’s (SERC) Internship Program
- University of Maryland: Marine Science REU – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- Boston College STEM REU – Due January 2020 (Tentative)
- Boston University: Bioinformatics REU – Due February 17, 2020
- Boston University: SURF Program – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- Brandeis University: Life Sciences REU – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- Summer Research Opportunities at Harvard (SROH) – Due February 1, 2020 (Opens November 1, 2019)
- Harvard Forest Summer Research Program in Ecology – Due February 2020- Tentative (Opens December 2019)
- University of Chicago: Marine Biology SRE -Due February 2020- Tentative (Opens December 2019)
- Northeastern University: Biology REU – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- Tufts University: REU in Engineering – Due March 2020 (Tentative)
- Tufts University: REU in Biology -Due March 2020 (Tentative)
- UMass Boston: REU in Evolutionary Biology – Due February 2020- Tentative (Opens late Fall 2019)
- Kettering University REU – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- Michigan State University W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS REU) – Due March 2020- Tentative (Opens December 2019)
- Plant Genomics at MSU REU Program -Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- REU: Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- University of Michigan Interdisciplinary REU Program in the Structure and Function of Proteins – Due February 1, 2020
- Mississippi State University: REU in Computational Biology – Due March 1
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center Research Internship – Due February 2020 (Opens November 2019)
- Missouri Botanical Garden REU – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- University of Missouri NeuroREU – Due March 2020 (Tentative)
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln Summer Research -Due March 2020- Tentative
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas: REU in Evolution – Due March 2020 (Tentative)
- Princeton University: Summer Research in Molecular Biophysics – Due January 31, 2020
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute Summer Internship – Due February 1, 2020
- Rutgers University: Computational Biology REU
- University of New Mexico – Sevilla Field Station REU – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- American Museum of National History Undergraduate Fellowship – Due February 15, 2020 (Opens January 2020)
- Boyce Thompson Institute Research Internships – Due February 7, 2020 (Opens Mid November 2019)
- City College of New York Summer Research in Biochemistry – Due March 2020 (Tentative)
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Undergraduate Research – Due January 15, 2020
- Cornell University: Molecular Biology & Genetics (MBG-REU) – Due January 2020 (Tentative)
- Brooklyn Urban Ecology and Environment (BUEE) Program – Due April 1, 2020- Tentative (Opens January 2020)
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies NSF Program
- New York University Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- Wadsworth Center REU Program – Due February 2020- Tentative (Opens late Fall 2019)
- North Carolina State University Biotechnology Program-Due February 1, 2020
- UNC Greensboro Math-Biology REU – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- University of North Dakota REU – Due March 2020 (Tentative)
- Miami University: REU in Ecology – Due January 2020- Tentative (Opens Mid November 2019)
- Ohio State University: REU in Molecular Genetics – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- University of Central Oklahoma: REU in Math & Science – Due March 2020 (Tentative)
- University of Oregon: REU in Molecular Biosciences -Applications Open December- Rolling Basis
- Exploration of Marine Biology on the Oregon Coast – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- TECBio REU @ Pitt – Due February 2020- Tentative (Opens mid November 2019)
- University of Puerto Rico: REU in Tropical Ecology -Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- Clemson University: Biophysics Summer REU – Due February 15, 2020- Tentative (Opens late Fall 2019)
- Fort Johnson Summer Undergraduate Research Program – Due February 14, 2020
- University of Georgia: Savannah River Ecology Laboratory – Due January 31, 2020
- University of South Dakota: Sustainable RIVER Project – Due February 2020- Tentative
- University of Tennessee: REU in Microbiology –
- Due March 2020 (Tentative)
- Rice University REU in BioNetworks -Due February 2020- Tentative (Opens November 2019)
- Texas A & M University: SRE in Biochemistry – Due February 1, 2020
- Blandy Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program – Due February 15, 2020
- University of Virginia: Mountain Lake Biological Station REU – Due February 20, 2020
- Genome Sciences Summer Research – Due February 1, 2020
- Center for Neurotechnology REU – Due January 15, 2020
- Marquette University Undergraduate Summer Research Program – Due February 2020 (Tentative)
- University of Wisconsin-Madison SRE – Due February 15, 2020 (Opens November 1, 2019)