UTD JOURNAL CLUB FOR THE BIOSCIENCES
Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Below you will find many research opportunities for undergraduate students. Please check back often because we are constantly updating as we hear of new opportunities!
On Campus Labs
FAQs:
How do I get into a research lab on campus?
I would recommend going to https://labs.utdallas.edu/ and first becoming familiar with all of the labs on campus. Click on their pages and read about their research, look at a couple of the lab's recent publications, and read the abstracts to see if their current research is something that may interest you. If you read a paper and the abstract sounds appealing, look at the author and see which graduate student in the lab wrote the paper. Email that graduate student (CC the PI (principal investigator) of the lab in the email as well) and tell them why you're interested in their research, maybe ask them a few questions about their research, and ask if they might allow you to join their lab to do research a few hours a week.
How many hours do I have to commit to a research lab on campus?
A lot of people think that in order to do research on campus you must commit 10-20 hours to a lab and that you have to have a set schedule that you will be available for every week. This is often not the case! How much time you will need to spend in the lab varies from lab to lab however, most labs are very understanding of the fact that it is difficult to commit many hours to lab while taking classes. It really depends, but some people can spend about 4 hours in the lab a week while others spend 15, It is really about having good communication with the graduate student you will work under and they'll often understand that maybe you can't come in one week because you have a lot of exams. So don't worry too much about the time commitment, if you are really interested in a research lab just reach out! It is likely that if you are passionate about the research and they can see that, they will be accommodating of your schedule!
UTD Research Labs
UTD Research Programs
Did you know that UTD has many different research programs that are paid? There are many different programs some of which take place in the summer and others during the school year.
The Green Fellowship
• https://honors.utdallas.edu/green-fellowship/application-and-eligibility
• https://www.utsouthwestern.edu/education/graduate-school/research-opportunities/green-fellows.html
• https://utdgreenfellows.wixsite.com/my-site-1
This program is an incredible opportunity and is available for juniors and seniors. Please keep in mind that the program does take up one full spring semester, so plan early with your academic advisor if you are interested! Here is some information from their website: The Green Fellows program offered jointly by The University of Texas at Dallas and the UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, provides a semester-long, fully paid undergraduate research fellowship. The program is most appropriate for those students interested in Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. pathways after graduation from UT Dallas. Green Fellows pursue individual research projects under the direction of the graduate school faculty at UT Southwestern. Fellows are selected by the faculty mentors and assigned to a research project according to each fellow's previous training and research interests.
NSF REU – Culturally Responsive Research in Developmental Science
• https://bbs.utdallas.edu/academics/undergraduate/research/nsf-reu-research-experiences-for-undergraduates/
The NSF REU is a 42-week paid internship that provides students from historically underrepresented groups the opportunity to work in community-based developmental research.
ENSURE Program in Neuroscience
• https://ensure.utdallas.edu/
The ENSURE (Enhance Neuroscience Undergraduate Research Experiences) program is an intensive 2-year program (including summers) that provides students from historically underrepresented groups the opportunity for an immersive research experience during their sophomore and junior years at UT Dallas. Fellows receive tuition, housing and a stipend to work in the laboratory of one of our neuroscience faculty.
MARC Program
The MARC (Maximizing Access to Research Careers) program is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) 3-year paid scholarship that provides students with year-round biomedical research experience opportunities and mentorship. MARC scholars will have the opportunity to interact with faculty mentors and career mentors.
SURF Program
• https://bbs.utdallas.edu/academics/undergraduate/research/summer-undergraduate-research-fellowship-surf-program/
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program is a 9-week offering open to rising juniors or seniors. It provides college students from groups traditionally underrepresented in science or students from universities where research opportunities are not as widely available with the opportunity to participate in research and training experiences with faculty in labs and clinics in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Short-Term Working Group (SWG) Research
• https://ctl.utdallas.edu/programs/short-term-working-group/
The SWG program offers students opportunities to work closely with a faculty member in a targeted project. New SWG projects will be announced early each semester. Projects recruit a cohort of 7-10 students who will meet in 4 goal-directed, in-person sessions over the course of a semester. The projects range across campus disciplines, including projects proposed by BBS faculty. The goal of the SWG initiative is to provide students with meaningful opportunities to connect and collaborate with faculty during their time at UT Dallas.
Outside Research Opportunities
There are many other research programs for undergraduates offered nationwide. The benefit of doing a research program during the summer is the opportunity to do research full-time, which is rare for an undergraduate.