Getting started
Research opportunities abound, but finding the right fit for your interests may require some effort. Here are suggestions for starting your search:
Approach a professor whose research interests you. Faculty may be looking for a research assistant or aware of other opportunities. This could be a great conversation during office hours.
Consider a research-based course. Courses with research as a central focus can introduce research methods and help you assess your interest in a more long-term research project.
Talk to a department advisor. Department advisors often have knowledge of research opportunities. If you are an honors student, also ask about opportunities to pursue independent research through your department’s honors program.
Think beyond your own discipline. Be open to research opportunities outside of your major. Many students find research opportunities in other departments, colleges, or UW-affiliated centers.
Dedicate a summer to humanities research. In the UW’s Summer Institute in the Arts & Humanities, undergraduates engage in scholarly research with accomplished scholars and peers while earning full-time academic credit.
Explore the resources of the UW Office of Undergraduate Research. This office offers guidance on all aspects of undergraduate research.
- Through undergraduate research advising, learn about finding a position, earning academic credit, identifying research funding, and more.
- The research opportunities database includes several hundred undergraduate research opportunities. Be sure to check the database periodically, as new opportunities are continually added. (Interested in psychology research? Also visit the Department of Psychology Undergraduate Research Opportunities webpage.)
- If your research involves human or animal subjects, the research ethics page includes links to information about UW policy and federal regulatory requirements.
Washington Experimental Mathematics Lab
Contribute to mathematical research while making it accessible to the public.
Homer Multitext Project
Join an international team producing digital editions of early Homeric texts.
UW Center for Human Rights
Research declassified documents to confirm and address human rights abuses.
A focus on transgender youth
As a first-year student, Deja Edwards (BA, Anthropology, 2019) joined the Department of Psychology's Social Cognitive Development Lab, assisting on research projects related to transgender youth. "I was still learning what the UW was, and [that experience] shaped everything for me," Edwards says of the research opportunity. She later developed an independent project as part of the research team.
Student Research Experiences
Writing Mrs. Lenin
Darby Sherwood developed a play, Mrs. Lenin, under the mentorship of a nationally recognized playwright.
Paris & Penguins
Anna Sulc researched French literature in Paris and studied penguins in Argentina.
Seeking Justice
Anthony Stokes worked with an attorney on parole petitions as part of the Juvenile Parole Project.
A Leader in the Making
Stephanie Masterman explored fishing and ecostystem concerns of the Tlingit community in Alaska.
Jake Fell (BA, Geography, 2021) talks about his year-long research project on Seattle’s eviction moratorium. View Fell’s full research presentation.