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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 the Fall 2025 Semester. 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 earlier... |
Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Credit, Volunteer |
On campus |
July 16, 2025 |
| Behavioral Coding 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 behavioral coding for our Parent-to-Child Anxiety Transmission (PCAT) Study for the Fall 2025 Semester. The PCAT Study examines how parent-child interactions affect children's socioemotional development. Behavioral coding involves taking video data and systematically defining observable behaviors throughout the video. Onboarding is expected to begin in late August, and training is expected to begin in early September. No experience in coding is required for this position; however, we are looking for students who have strong communication skills and can follow instructions well. To learn more about the CAT... |
Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Credit, Volunteer |
On campus |
July 16, 2025 |
| PRO Health Research Lab Seeking Students for Fall 2025 to assist with Grant-Funded Research |
The PRO Health Lab is seeking motivated and detail-oriented students who are interested in assisting with grant-funded research projects in the areas of public health and prevention science. The lab works primarily with college students and/or their families to reduce high-risk drinking behaviors and related consequences. The Research Assistant will receive BBH research credit and hours are flexible (up to 10 hours/week, depending on current lab needs), with the possibility of occasional paid hours. This is a great opportunity for someone looking to pursue graduate school or a career in research or public health. Ideal candidates should be able to commit to the position for at least four semesters. |
Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Credit, Paid |
On campus |
July 1, 2025 |
| Undergraduate Research Assistant – Bilingual (Spanish-English) |
The Rovniak Lab at the Penn State College of Medicine within the Department of Medicine is seeking several part-time research assistants for a large randomized controlled trial with over 1,400 participants to help engage older adults with osteoarthritis in no-cost exercise opportunities available nationwide. Our project aims to connect older adults across the United States with supportive and convenient exercise opportunities that can help them improve their physical and mental wellness. This work is being done with funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Research assistants must be bilingual and speak fluent English and Spanish. This job may be performed locally or remotely. |
Any |
Paid |
Hybrid |
June 9, 2025 |
| 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 large data sets. 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... |
Engineering, Mathematics, Physical Sciences |
Credit, Volunteer |
On campus, Remote |
May 13, 2025 |
| 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 |
April 28, 2025 |
| Undergraduate Research Assistant in Finance and Economics |
Work with Penn State finance faculty members and advanced doctoral students on cutting-edge research projects in the areas of finance and economics. Recent topics of interest include:
|
Business, Engineering, Environmental and Geosciences, Information Technology and Computer Science, International Relations, Political Science, and Law, Mathematics, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Statistics |
Volunteer |
Hybrid, On campus, Remote |
April 25, 2025 |
| Summer Research Opportunity in a Cutting Edge Neuroscience/Human Genetics Lab |
We are diverse group comprising of bioinformaticians, cellular biologists, human geneticists and biochemists studying neurodevelopmental disorders. We are particularly interested in understanding how genetic background affects the variable neurodevelopmental phenotypes we observe within the same family. We use different models ranging from primary cell lines from patients, cortical organoids to mice models for studying behavior. We use several cutting edge techniques like CRISPRi and CRISPRa gene editing. Graduate students in the lab are collaborative, highly skilled with a strong passion for mentoring. We have several Schreyer Honors Scholars graduating with their Honors Thesis this spring. Many of whom are headed to MD programs at prestigious... |
Life Sciences |
Credit |
On campus |
April 15, 2025 |
| Summer Research Internship for Credit |
Summer research internship, with fieldwork experiences within an interdisciplinary Socio-Ecological Research We are looking for an undergraduate student for a credit base summer research internship, which includes an international fieldwork component in African settings. The successful candidate will engage in both ecological and social data collection: · participate in empirical ecological data collection, including vegetation and biodiversity surveys, soil sample collection, etc. · observe and conduct semi-structured interviews, including understanding what are and how to do key informants’ interviews and focus group discussions · observe and conduct household surveys ... |
Agricultural Sciences, Environmental and Geosciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Credit |
Community-based |
March 26, 2025 |
| Paid undergraduate research opportunity in water quality (field/lab-based) |
Research interests: Water quality, stream pollutant transport, watershed management, nutrient biogeochemistry, conservation practices, ecohydrological modeling The Valappil Research Lab in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (University Park) primarily works on integrating field and modeling-based research to study stream water quality, pollutant transport and cycling, and the impact of conservation practices on stream health. Our field-based projects involve testing for pollutant concentrations (nutrients and sediments) in various locations around Centre County, PA, as well as conducting tracer studies (injecting salts in streams and tracking their transport) to estimate nutrient uptake and its variability. Our projects also have a key Extension... |
Agricultural Sciences, Engineering, Environmental and Geosciences, Physical Sciences |
Paid |
Community-based, On campus |
March 5, 2025 |