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.
- “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.
Keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive database of all the research opportunities available at Penn State. Please visit our Finding an Opportunity at Penn State section for other ideas for finding a research opportunity!
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer Data Collection Research Assistant Positions in the Cognition, Affect, and Temperament Lab |
The Cognition, Affect, and Temperament (CAT) Lab, led by Dr. Koraly Pérez-Edgar, is seeking undergraduate research assistants (URAs) to assist with data collection for the Parent-to-Child Anxiety Transmission (PCAT) Study for Summer 2026. The PCAT Study examines how parent-child interactions affect children's socioemotional development. The study examines patterns of brain and behavioral synchrony in parent-child pairs as they complete puzzles together and other social activities over the span of 2 years. To do this, we collect data using fNIRS, EEG, ECG, mobile eyetracking, and video recordings. Participating families visit the lab 3 times to complete a series of parent-child tasks and independent tasks while wearing the equipment mentioned... |
Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Credit, Volunteer |
On campus |
January 30, 2026 |
| Bee research opportunities in the Hines Lab |
The following opportunities are available for Spring and Summer 2026:
|
Agricultural Sciences, Environmental and Geosciences, Life Sciences |
Variable |
Hybrid, On campus |
January 29, 2026 |
| Genetic basis of plant traits |
For many important biological questions, an important step is often to determine the gene(s) involved in a particular trait. My research focuses on determining the genetic basis of herbicide resistance in weeds. By understanding which genes are involved we can better understand the evolutionary past and future of this trait, which impacts our food supply. The same methods I use in my research can be applied to many other traits that you may be interested in. Given that genetic data is often publically available, identifying genes of interest for a particular trait can be done in the comfort of your own home! The goal of this project is to give you hands on practice at bioinformatic techniques and interpretation. |
Agricultural Sciences, Information Technology and Computer Science, Life Sciences |
Credit, Volunteer |
On campus |
December 4, 2025 |
| Research Assistant in Advancement of Open Science |
As part of Penn State's new Data Stewardship Program, there are several research projects dedicated to helping make Penn State research more accessible and impactful by supporting data sharing. You will gain hands-on experience in open science principles, research data management, and research methods. In particular, we are looking for a research assistant to help with one of the following projects:
|
Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Credit, Variable |
On campus |
October 6, 2025 |
| Child Eating Behaviors, Home Food Environment, and Neurocognitive Function |
MEAL-TIME Study: An ‘obesogenic’ style of eating (e.g., larger bites and faster eating and bite rates) has been identified in the lab and proposed as a modifiable behavioral target, however, it is unclear if this eating style will generalize to the home environment, where children consume two thirds of their total energy. We will assess laboratory and home eating styles (e.g., bite rate) in 100 prepubertal 6-9-year-old children to constrain variability in energy requirements. Children will be video-recorded while consuming identical study-provided meals at home and in the laboratory (counter-balanced order) in addition to a ‘typical’ meal at home. Parents will use smart-phone devices and the Wear-IT app to video-record children at home. We will also be completing... |
Nursing and Health Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Credit, Volunteer |
Hybrid, On campus, Remote |
October 6, 2025 |
| Child Yogurt Intervention for Cognitive and Brain Health |
Smoothie Program for Achieving and Resilient Kids (SPARK Study): Prior literature suggests that yogurt may be beneficial for brain health, including cognitive processes involved with self-regulation (i.e., executive functions-EF). Therefore, we are conducing a randomized clinical trial to compare 4 weeks exposure of daily yogurt at 2 doses (1 vs 2 drinks per day) to daily fruit juice on neurocognitive function and microbiome composition in 60 rural children from Central Pennsylvania (20 children per exposure condition). Children are randomized to receive either the control (fruit juice) or one of the experimental doses of yogurt smoothies (1x daily vs. 2x daily) for 4 weeks. Main outcomes will be EF assessed by validated tasks and surveys, hippocampal-dependent memory assessed by... |
Any, Nursing and Health Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Credit, Variable, Volunteer |
Hybrid, On campus |
October 6, 2025 |
| Dark Ritual in Fanship and Leisure Experiences |
Lab: Tourism & Leisure Lab
Description: Students will partner with scholars at the... |
Any |
Credit, Variable, Volunteer, Work Study |
Hybrid, On campus, Remote |
October 3, 2025 |
| Game of Thrones Fanship and Virtual Tourism to UNESCO World Heritage Site |
Lab: Tourism & Leisure Lab
Description: Benefits:
|
Any |
Credit, Variable, Volunteer |
Hybrid, On campus, Remote |
October 3, 2025 |
| Fanship Leisure, Loneliness & Social Wellbeing |
Lab: Tourism & Leisure Lab (ACURA)
Description:
Remote Opportunity: |
Any |
Credit, Variable, Volunteer |
Hybrid, On campus, Remote |
October 3, 2025 |
| Human Language Technologies Lab |
Natural language is crucial to how humanity communicates, synthesizes, and stores information. HLT Lab focuses on natural language processing (NLP), the branch of artificial intelligence (AI) that enables computers to perform meaningful tasks with the languages that humans write and speak. Our work covers a variety of topics, including privacy, online social media, ethics, and computational social science. If you're interested in working with HLT Lab, please read the Guide for Joining My Lab and follow its instructions for contacting me. |
Information Technology and Computer Science |
Credit |
On campus |
September 29, 2025 |