Welcome to UC San Diego’s undergraduate research portal for all students in all disciplines who wish to explore the rewards and challenges of undergraduate research.
Faculty on Research
This is a public research university with big classes, lots of competition and a huge opportunity for undergraduates: to work with cutting-edge researchers who invent the future. If you don’t try to get involved in research, you are missing out on one of the key reasons for being here.
Gabriele Wienhausen—Associate Dean of Biological Sciences
Guide to Undergraduate Research
Overview
What is undergraduate research? Why is it valuable to you as an undergraduate?
Self-Assessment
How to take stock before committing to a research project.
Projects: getting started
How to get an undergraduate research project off the ground.
End Results
How undertaking a research project can help you in the long run.
Ready to get started? Visit our Opportunities page.
News
Congratulations to UC San Diego Junior Anelah McGinness, winner of a 2012 Strauss Award.
The Donald A. Strauss Public Service Scholarship Foundation was created as a memorial to the late Don Strauss, who demonstrated a strong, lifelong commitment to public service and education. The Foundation annually awards $10,000 scholarships to no fewer than 14 California college juniors who've reflected a similar commitment. For more information on the Foundation and how to apply visit www.straussfoundation.org.
UCSD Undergraduates Recognized by President Bill Clinton at 2012 CGI U
Undergraduate Student Research Assistant in Dr. V.S. Ramachandran's lab, Elizbeth Seckel, was recognized by President Bill Clinton at the outset of the 2012 CGI U. Seckel, along with students Claude Miller, Brittany Lyng, Lina Delbruck and Nicole de Faymoreau, fulfilled their CGIU commitment during summer 2011, when the group of students volunteered in a clinic in Haiti. The students plan to return to Haiti and visit the Dominican Republic in June. They will also volunteer in clinics in Vietnam and Cambodia in September to treat more amputees and teach mirror therapy to other practitioners in order to sustain their positive efforts in the long run.
Read more information on the project and read the letter by President Clinton
Amgen Scholars Program Supports Young Scientists at UC San Diego
Leandro Gallo, a graduate student in the department of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego, grew up in a working class family in Brazil where the possibility of pursuing higher education seemed an impossible dream for him. At age 19, Gallo left his native country to escape from life-threatening persecutions for being gay, and was eventually granted political asylum in the United States. With the help and encouragement of friends, he worked to achieve his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Hunter College in New York. While an undergraduate student, Gallo discovered UC San Diego through the Amgen Scholars Program—an opportunity that put him on track to pursue a graduate degree in chemical biology, with plans for a career in academic teaching and research.
Read More about the Amgen Scholars at UC San Diego