You’ve already taken the first step towards your undergraduate research experience by defining your interests and availability. Now it’s time to identify potential research opportunities and faculty mentors. Many undergraduate research opportunities are not formally posted, so your search may involve exploring faculty research and reaching out directly. These resources can help you narrow your search and decide where to focus your outreach.
Your goal for this this step of the process should be to identify several faculty members, research areas, or programs that could be a good fit, and then learn how to connect with potential research mentors.
Find Undergraduate Research Opportunities
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Explore faculty and research areas
The research topics list breaks down vast research fields into specific topics and connects them to faculty members focusing on those areas. You can also narrow down faculty based on the schools and departments they’re based at.
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Ask professors, teaching assistants, academic advisors, and graduate students for recommendations and introductions.
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Join CURB (Cornell Undergraduate Research Board). CURB shares research postings, hosts events and provides additional resources supporting undergraduate research across Cornell.
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Find paid research opportunities at Student Employment: Jobs Overview (use the search term research), by speaking with individual research mentors, or by securing an Undergraduate Research Grant.
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Check out Cornell University Artificial Intelligence (CUAI), an undergraduate student organization that focuses on machine learning research and publication.
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The School of Operations Research and Information Engineering organizes undergraduate team project opportunities via the course ORIE 4999. Email orie-ug-support@cornell.edu.
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The Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering maintains a list of research projects offered to Duffield Engineering students.
Highlighted Opportunities
Rising Researchers Program
The program provides a structured pathway into undergraduate research. Students can explore research through workshops, lab tours, and faculty interactions before applying for a mentored research experience in the spring. They receive either academic credit or hourly pay during the spring semester, and full-time pay during the summer session.
Summer Research Opportunities
Each summer, Cornell engineers conduct research around the world. Duffield Engineering offers undergraduate research opportunities at Cornell’s Ithaca campus, Cornell Tech in NYC, and with our international partners the UK, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Students also pursue research opportunities offered by other academic institutions and industry organizations both nationally and internationally.
Tips for Applying to Paid Summer Research Positions
- Start your search during winter break. Once the semester begins, your schedule will become busier.
- Plan on applying to multiple positions.
- Broaden your search. Summer is a fantastic time to try something different or have research experiences that are not available at Cornell. Don’t limit yourself! Experience life at a company, nonprofit, government agency (federal or state), hospital, or other place away from campus. Research is everywhere!
- Many applications require either references or letters of recommendation. When you need a letter, you should give recommenders at least four weeks to write the letter. Ask early. It’s OK to ask the same person to write letters or be a reference for several opportunities – just be organized in how and when you share the list of locations.
- Visit Cornell Career Services. They can support you as you create your application materials and seek positions beyond Cornell.
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Summer Research at Cornell’s Ithaca Campus
Spend the summer in Ithaca conducting research with the world-renowned scientists at Cornell. If you are already in a research group, you can extend that experience throughout the summer. If you would like to get started in research this summer, read more about finding research opportunities at Cornell. The Office of Inclusive Excellence Undergraduate Grants Program offers financial support for salary and research expenses over the summer or during the academic year.
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Cornell Tech
Engineering undergraduates may apply through our undergraduate research grant program to engage in research with faculty members at the Cornell Tech campus. Students may explore faculty members and research areas at the Cornell Tech Summer Research page. These Cornell Tech faculty have potential projects available for the upcoming summer and interested students should contact them directly:
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International Research Experiences Supported by Duffield Engineering
The Einaudi Center for International Studies, the Office of Global Learning, and Duffield Engineering are thrilled to promote international engineering summer research opportunities via the Global Internship. Applications open in October and close in December. Check the program websites for application deadlines.
“I am an undergraduate researcher focusing on queueing theory, the mathematical study of waiting lines, such as airport security lines. Queues are everywhere, which is why it is so exciting to understand their underlying mathematical structure and analyze their behavior in a way that is both theoretically sound and widely applicable. I really hope to continue working on problems that improve systems like the queueing systems that are everywhere in life — if people spend less time waiting, they have more time for living.”
Natalie Nguyen ’26
International Research Experiences
If you are accepted to one or more of the programs above, you are eligible to apply to the following grants to support your experience. You can receive funding from all three sources.
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Global Intern Funding
up to $3000
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Engineering Student Travel Grant
up to $1500
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Engineering International Summer Research Grant
up to $6000
Research Opportunities Beyond Cornell
Academic institutions and industry organizations offer a wide range of summer research programs in engineering.
- Start your search using the Pathways to Science STEM programs database from the Institute for Broadening Participation (IBP). This database includes hundreds of summer programs in Engineering. The Advanced Search function allows you to narrow your search based on citizenship requirements, research or internship experiences, international experiences, and more! IBP also provides tools and guidance to help you create a strong application.
- If you are considering pursuing an MD-PhD or MD, explore the AAMC’s summer research program list and MD-PhD specific summer programs.
- Explore the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability Summer Internships, where you can join teams working at the intersection of science, policy, community, and the private sector.
- USAJobs a central repository for positions with the federal government, including the Pathways Internship Program, which offers paid opportunities with federal agencies and provides links to other federally supported research and internship opportunities, including NASA, Department of Defense, and more!
- The US Department of Energy offers Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships over the summer and during the semester at world-renowned laboratories.
- The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) maintains a list of companies and agencies that have internship programs. Once you follow the link to a specific company, you might have to search around a bit – “internship” or “intern” are great keywords when searching company job databases.
- Join email lists or check the job boards for professional organizations in your field of interest. For example:
Navigating Undergraduate Research
Get in Touch
Questions about undergraduate research? We’re here to help.
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Email
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Undergraduate Research Advisors
Schedule a one-on-one appointment with an advisor.