How to Get Started

Department Websites

There are a variety of academic departments at the University of Washington with incredible faculty and graduate students conducting research! You can learn about different departments, the research faculty/graduate students are conducting, and reach out to them to express interest in working with them. Follow the steps below for more guidance.

View list of UW academic departments

1. Identify academic departments that interest you. You can conduct research in any discipline (even outside of your major) so don’t limit yourself!
2. Each department website will either have a “People” or “Faculty” tab. Click on the tab to find a list of faculty in the department.
3. Most faculty pages will include a faculty profile, along with their areas of expertise. Click on each profile that interests you, and start learning as much as you can about them and their research. You can skim their research publications through Google Scholar, learn about the courses they teach, and read news articles they are featured in, etc.
   Quick Tip: Some faculty even have their own personal website where they include profiles of their research team. This is a great way to learn who you could potentially work with and whether other undergraduate students are on their team.
   Use this spreadsheet to keep track of mentor information and emails!
4. After getting a sense of the potential research mentor and their area of research, take some time to reflect.
   Why are you interested in their research?
   What specific projects of theirs interest you?
   How does their research connect to your own goals and passions?
   
5. Now that you have an understanding of your potential mentor’s research and how it connects with your own interests, you can start drafting an email to reach out to them.
   View guide on how to reach out to a mentor.

Join Mailing Lists

Mailing lists are a great way to stay in the loop about research openings and opportunities such as scholarships, symposia, and more. To receive relevant updates, be sure to join the right lists!

Already get too many emails? We’ve narrowed it down for you.

• Do now: Subscribe to the Office of Undergraduate Research Listserv to learn about research, scholarship, and summer opportunities as they arise. You will also receive reminders about events throughout the academic year such as Research Café and the Undergraduate Research Symposium.
• Academic departments and students clubs also maintain lists of undergraduate research opportunities across different disciplines. These opportunities may or may not appear in the Research Opportunities Database maintained by the Office of Undergraduate Research, so it’s best to diversify your connections.

You may automatically be on some mailing lists based on your major, minor, and organizational affiliations. If you are looking to do research outside of your major field of study or are not yet in a major, contact advising staff in your department of interest to see if they can add you to the list. This will give you access to more opportunities!

How does this compare to approaching a professor directly?
The benefit of responding to posted research positions or programs is that you know undergraduate openings are available. Read the instructions carefully. There may be an application form to fill out. Alternatively, a professor may request that you email a statement of interest and resume. In this case, you may want to look at the Reaching out to a Mentor Guide.

While there are likely other interested students competing for limited spots, don’t let this discourage you from applying. Many people successfully land research positions through this route. Just keep in mind that you may not get the first position you solicit. That’s part of the process.

Attend Office Hours

Professors love to talk about their research. Take advantage of opportunities to get to know professors and TAs for classes that align with your research interests. Not only will it help you do well in your coursework, but it could land you a research position.

How do you ask professors about undergraduate research at office hours?

• Read their research team’s website ahead of time. Ask yourself: is this a research area that interests me?
• Introduce yourself, especially for larger classes where the instructor may not know you by name.
• Tell them how much you’ve enjoyed their class and discuss your research interests, goals, and questions.
• Inquire about possible undergraduate research openings in the near future.
• You may also wish to have a resume handy and send a follow-up email as appropriate.

Talking to professors can be intimidating, but it can leave a memorable impression. Most professors are happy to chat with students about academic interests and upcoming opportunities. Note that professors are not going to seek you out—you need to approach them and ask!

Keep an open mind. If a professor is not taking on new undergraduates, don’t take it personally. Supporting undergraduate researchers requires availability of mentorship, resources, and funding. There are many reasons a professor may not be able to bring you on that have nothing to do with your qualifications or potential. Continue networking and stay persistent.

Leverage connections with TAs. Most of your TAs are also researchers. You can ask TAs about their research groups and knowledge of any undergraduate openings. This can be especially beneficial if a TA knows you and your work well. Seriously, elevator conversations with TAs can end in research positions.

Past Symposia

The Office of Undergraduate Research hosts the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium where students have the opportunity to share their research with the general public. We keep track of annual student projects, including the project abstract and mentor/student’s name and department.

Past symposia proceedings

Explore past year’s symposia proceedings to learn about the various projects undergraduates are involved in. If a certain project interests you, you can see the mentor associated, find their department profile, and begin learning as much as you can about them before you reach out to express interest.

• The department faculty pages can be a bit overwhelming with the amount of faculty listed, so this option is a great way to narrow down the faculty list. Plus, you already know that all of the mentors in the past symposia proceedings worked with undergraduates and supported them in presenting their work at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. These are all signs of a great mentor!

Summer Programs

Summer research programs provide opportunities for students to engage in immersive research experiences, to try something new or to take their experience to the next level. 

Summer Programs

• Summer programs often involve specific time commitments (e.g. 40 hours/week for 8 weeks) and may also require the program to be your sole full time commitment for the summer. Make sure to apply to programs that make sense for you and your summer plans.
• Most summer program deadlines are in the winter, so plan ahead for which programs interest you so you can be better prepared for your application.
• Our office helps students plan for summer research, find programs, and apply to programs at UW and beyond. Browse our list of summer research programs to learn more about how to get involved.