Undergraduate Research Opportunities Database
Our database is a great resource in helping students find exciting undergraduate research opportunities at Penn State.
To get the best results, we recommend that you select all of the research areas that interest you. We also recommend that you conduct multiple searches.
Campus – Select the campus(es) where you would be interested in participating in research. Depending on the time of year when you are using the database, consider whether your location changes. For example, do you spend your summers closer to a different campus than where you regularly attend school?
Research Area – Select the area(s) of research that interest you most, keeping in mind that research is often interdisciplinary so it might be appropriate to select more than one area. For example, if you are interested in health you might want to search for opportunities in the physical sciences, life sciences, and nursing and health sciences, because these research areas could all be relevant to your interest in health.
Position Type – Select the position type(s) that are most appealing to you. If you prefer whether you earn credit versus being paid, be sure to narrow down the search results using this field.
Note: You may not receive academic credit and be paid for the same research experience in a given semester.
- “Variable” refers to situations where the position type is likely to change. For example, some mentors like to accept students on a volunteer basis and after a semester of working together will consider paying the student or offering course credit.
- “Work Study” is only available to students who have received a federal work-study (FWS) award. You can verify if you have an FWS award by visiting LionPATH and reviewing your "Financial Aid Summary.” If you do not have a federal work-study award, your mentor can also inquire with the Office of Student Aid - 814-865-6301 - to determine if you are eligible to be awarded one.
Work Setting – Select the work setting(s) that works best with your schedule.
- “Variable” refers to situations where the work setting could change throughout the duration of the project or research. For example, some opportunities can start off in-person and be adapted to remote if circumstances were to require such a change.
Mentors interested in creating an account or posting an opportunity should visit the Posting Undergraduate Research Opportunities section.
| Title | Description | Research Area(s) | Position Type(s) | Work Setting(s) | Updated Date | Posting Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitch Exploration Lab |
You're invited! A research group called the Pitch Exploration Lab meets weekly each semester. This space is intended for undergraduates or graduates from any major on campus to explore music/brain/psychology topics but we especially welcome research questions related to pitch processing and psycho-motor activity. Students from Acoustics, Psychology, Neuroscience and all other majors are welcome, as well as students with any background coursework or experience in statistics. Please contact the lab director, Dr. Bryan Nichols at bnichols@psu.edu for more information. |
Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Volunteer |
On campus |
March 17, 2023 | March 17, 2023 | |
| Undergraduate research assistant in ecological engineering & nutrient management |
This summer's research effort is part of a larger project to test out the ability of duckweed, a tiny aquatic plant, to help recycle excess nutrients in dairy wastewater. This summer, we will be working on two main sub-projects. We will be working with students in Dr. Rachel Brennan's lab to grow duckweed on dairy wastewater, so that the duckweed can improve the water quality. We will be making measurements of gases created during the treatment process, and also assisting with collecting other data. We are also testing out the ability to 'upcycle' duckweed as an organic fertilizer. We will be doing a greenhouse experiment to grow plants using duckweed and conventional fertilizers. Various types of water, soil, and greenhouse gas samples will be taken to understand how nutrients are... |
Agricultural Sciences, Engineering, Environmental and Geosciences, Physical Sciences |
Paid |
On campus |
March 10, 2023 | March 8, 2023 | |
| Harnessing fungi for food and biomaterials |
The Wee lab in the Department of Food Science, Penn State - University Park is looking to fill two undergraduate research positions in fungal foods and biomaterials beginning Summer 2023 or as soon as able. In the first project, we are optimizing and characterizing fungi for degradation of plastics in collaboration with Penn State Behrend funded by the Institute of Energy and Environment. In project 2, we are developing mycelium bioscaffold for cell-based meat. Projects in our laboratory center around fungal biology and mycology within the context of food and biomaterials. |
Any |
Paid |
On campus |
March 10, 2023 | March 10, 2023 | |
| The Child Health Study |
Study Purpose: The primary purpose of this study is to learn more about the different ways in which the environment and biology can affect a person's health over their lifetime. Children beginning at the age of 8 along with one of their caregivers spends a day visiting The Center for Healthy Children at Penn State to help us learn about their different life experiences and environments and how these shapes human development. The information we gather during these visits will help us achieve our long-range goal of understanding more about children, adolescents, and their families to improve health outcomes. Research Assistant Benefits:
|
Communications and Journalism, Life Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Credit, Variable, Volunteer, Work Study |
On campus |
February 23, 2023 | May 6, 2021 | |
| PlantVillage Undergraduate Research Opportunity |
In 2021, 235 million people were marching to starvation, according to the United Nations, made worse by climate change & COVID-19. In 2022, the situation is continuing to deteriorate due to climate change. PlantVillage utilizes technology to help smallholder farmers grow more food in the face of climate change. With the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization, we are working across 70 countries and 30 languages. We train AI systems that help farmers adapt. We are looking for students to help make these systems even more powerful. |
Any |
Credit, Volunteer |
On campus, Remote |
February 21, 2023 | June 13, 2022 | |
| Research Opportunities at the Aerospace multi-Physical and Unconventional System Lab |
The research activities in the APUS Lab are motivated by the desire to expand the last frontier of aerospace engineering, represented by hypersonic vehicles and high-speed vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The development of these advanced aerospace systems has been constrained by their inherent complex multi-physics nature and the adverse uncertain working environment. While there are relatively mature solutions for each single disciplinary involved in multi-physics problems, these problems cannot be completely understood and solved without integrating the multi-disciplinary tools for the modeling, testing, and robust design of future unconventional aircraft. The following undergraduate research project... |
Engineering, Information Technology and Computer Science, Mathematics |
Credit, Volunteer |
On campus, Remote, Variable |
February 15, 2023 | August 26, 2019 | |
| Computational Astrophysics |
I mainly study massive star winds that are driven by radiation. However, it involves significant amount of numerical computation, visualization and analysis of data. However, I am seeking student involvements in a wide range of other topics that require numerical computations/computer modeling. For example, supernovae, accretion disks, solar winds, planetary magnetospheres (like Jupiter) etc. I have experience with a number of different astrophysical numerical codes such as Zeus-MP, FLASH, PLUTO, AMRVAC. Most of them use Fortran, but PLUTO uses C programming language. These codes are very versatile and I will be happy to guide any interested student in learning and applying these tools. An ideal student will be familiar with Unix/Linux type of computer operating system, know scientific... |
Engineering, Mathematics, Physical Sciences |
Credit, Volunteer |
On campus, Remote |
January 26, 2023 | August 25, 2020 | |
| Context and Development Lab (CDL) – Undergraduate Research Assistant position |
Research interests in the lab involve understanding how context shapes adolescents' development and how race, ethnicity, and other cultural attributes interact with contextual characteristics to influence adolescent outcomes. Past projects in the lab (FAN-C: Families, Adolescents, and Neighborhoods in Context; PLACES/LUGARES) have explored the roles of different contexts such as residential neighborhood, school, family, etc. on African American and Latino adolescent's academic outcomes, beliefs, and behavior. Our current projects are ENLACES/TIES, a collaborative project with Dr. Mayra Bamaca designed to explore family, peer, and neighborhood influences on youth behaviors, and a qualitative data analysis project analyzing parent and youth focus groups for major themes. ... |
Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Volunteer |
Variable |
January 4, 2023 | November 17, 2022 | |
| Development, Risk & Resilience Lab Undergraduate Research Assistant |
Welcome to the Development, Risk, and Resilience Lab. Our goal is to understand when and under what circumstances developmental trajectories of children begin to diverge from normative trajectories among families who are struggling with substance abuse and related issues (e.g., mental health symptoms; caregiving unpredictability). The Development, Risk, and Resilience Lab is interested in how prenatal and early adversities shape the development of children's self-regulation; how these associations may be mediated or moderated by parenting quality; and applying this understanding to prevention. We are also working to understand protective factors that promote resilience in children in the face of early adversities. Our research is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the... |
Life Sciences, Nursing and Health Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Credit, Work Study |
On campus, Remote |
December 14, 2022 | December 14, 2022 | |
| Media Representation Content Analysis |
About Me Leah Dajches (Ph.D., University of Arizona, 2022) is a postdoctoral scholar at Penn State working on the News Literacy Initiative in the Bellisario College of Communications. Her research focuses on media representation and effects as it relates to adolescent development and marginalized group experiences. In particular, Leah is interested to understand the role of entertainment media and fandom in various components of identity development. Her research has been published in top-tier journals such as Health Communication, Journal of Children and Media, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, and Psychology of Popular Media, among others. About the Project The Media... |
Communications and Journalism, Humanities, Life Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Volunteer |
Remote |
October 18, 2022 | August 30, 2022 |