Unveiling UNC Undergraduate Research Opportunities: A Comprehensive Guide

For undergraduates at the University of North Carolina (UNC), engaging in research is a transformative experience that extends learning beyond the classroom. Research opportunities at UNC provide avenues for hands-on experience in various fields, including psychology, neuroscience, and beyond.

Why Engage in Undergraduate Research?

Participating in research or completing an internship is a great way to gain more hands-on experience outside of coursework. Engaging with salient questions as an undergraduate sets you up for long-term success, both as a researcher and as a lifelong learner. Beyond personal benefits, research allows students to impact fellow students, the community, and the world. New research is invigorating and inspiring, driving those who engage with it to ask more questions and make more discoveries.

Whether at UNC-Chapel Hill or UNC Charlotte, the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) and other units across UNC provide opportunities for undergraduates to engage in research. Over 65% of students participate in our nationally recognized Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Program, leveraging faculty mentorship to conduct original, independent research.

Pathways to Discovering Research Opportunities at UNC

Because there are many pathways to finding a research opportunity at UNC, students sometimes wonder where to start. To embark on this journey, several avenues can be explored:

The UNC Office for Undergraduate Research Opportunities Database

The UNC Office for Undergraduate Research opportunities database allows students to search by keyword and major. It also has the option to filter by opportunities for pay or as a volunteer, and primarily take place over the summer.

Read also: Undergraduate Research at CU

Networking

Social Media: Specific labs or researchers may post job openings on social media platforms.
Professors and Graduate Students: Speak with faculty and graduate students you have taken courses with as they can be a really good resource to learn more about the research and any available positions in the lab. Often, grad students are more likely to respond.
Research Centers and Institutes: Explore the research happening at UNC’s Research Centers and Institutes.

Direct Engagement

Take Courses: Many students at UNC start their research in a class.
Connect with Others: Connect with others in the research community to find ways to conduct your own research.
Finding a Research Mentor: Finding a research mentor (usually a faculty member, a postdoctoral fellow, or a graduate student) is a helpful way to find guidance and exposure to more opportunities.
Office for Undergraduate Research: Meet with someone from the Office for Undergraduate Research to ask questions and to chart your next steps.

Making Contact: Professional Etiquette

In order to pursue research at Carolina, you must first find a research mentor willing to offer you a position in their lab. This can be a time-consuming process! You should always practice good professional etiquette when contacting people about potential research opportunities.

Examples of Research Opportunities at UNC

Several specific research opportunities are available for UNC students, spanning various disciplines:

The Water Institute: The Water Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the world’s leading research and learning institutions for water, sanitation, and health. The Water Institute has several opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in research. Students who complete research through the Water Institute will receive hands-on training and mentoring from our core faculty and staff. Students will have opportunities to network with WaSH professionals, apply quantitative, qualitative, and project management skills, collect and/or analyze data, and learn about programmatic approaches used by major non-governmental and multilateral organizations (e.g., WHO, UNICEF). They may have the opportunity to earn research credits and fulfill IDEAS in Action curriculum requirements.
Hurlbert Lab: The Hurlbert lab is looking for undergraduates interested in field work collecting data on arthropod abundance at sites across the Research Triangle to answer questions about the impacts of climate change and urbanization on ecosystems. We are looking for a student interested in paid, part-time work for 16-20 hours per week from May 11 through July 31 who are interested in ecology, arthropods, and birds. Hours will typically be 8 am - 12 pm Monday through Friday. We will train students in arthropod identification, caterpillar frass collection and analysis, and students will have the opportunity to learn data entry, analysis, and management skills (e.g. the R programming language).
ACMLab: The ACMLab, led by Prof., develop advanced machine learning methodologies, including large language models, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and multi-agent systems, to better understand how the brain works. Exceptional candidates will also have opportunities to contribute to foundational AI research, including the development of LLM-based scientific assistants, agentic AI frameworks for automated hypothesis generation and experimental design, and scalable RAG systems tailored for neuroscience and biomedical discovery. Students will work on data processing, algorithm design, backend and/or frontend development, and may integrate simulation outputs or experimental/real-world video data. Experience with Python, data analysis, or app/web development is helpful but not required. Enthusiasm and willingness to learn are essential.
Klotsa Group: The Klotsa group invites highly motivated undergraduate students in Applied Sciences, Physics, Math, Computer Science, or related fields to join an interdisciplinary research project that applies theoretical physics and computational modeling to real-world crowd safety challenges. Using agent-based simulations, statistical mechanics and active matter, our team studies how crowds behave under stress and explores innovative interventions, such as mobile obstacles, drones, and digital signals, to prevent dangerous crowding and improve evacuation outcomes. Students will gain hands-on experience with simulation software (e.g., HOOMD), data analysis, and physics-based modeling of complex systems. Coding experience is required; enthusiasm and willingness to learn are essential.
Healthcare Innovation Platform: Are you a business student looking for hands-on, high-impact experience at the intersection of healthcare, innovation, and entrepreneurship? We’re building a platform that matches clinicians with researchers to accelerate medical innovation - and we need your business expertise to make it real. Every year, clinicians identify thousands of medical problems that never reach research labs - and researchers often struggle to find clinical collaborators. Our platform aims to bridge that gap by matching clinical needs with research expertise, creating a streamlined way to launch collaborative projects. This is a chance to build a real-world startup case - not just a class project.
SoftSwarm Lab: SoftSwarm Lab: We are seeking highly-motivated undergrads for a variety of projects in our computational lab. Our background, as well as, the problems we are solving combine many disciplines, including soft matter physics, materials, biophysics, fluid dynamics, applied mathematics and engineering, using computer simulations. The common theme is that we study “active matter”, that is matter made of many agents that collectively exhibit emergent behavior, e.g. swarming. Top priority project is to model crowd behavior and design efficient evacuation and intervention methods.
Web Platform for Medical Challenges: We are looking to build a team of highly motivated students to help develop an innovative web platform that connects clinicians and hospital staff with university researchers to solve real-world medical challenges. The system uses intelligent search and matching algorithms to link clinical questions with faculty expertise across disciplines. Undergraduate students in Computer Science or related fields are invited to contribute to the development of a Next.js + React web application backed by PostgreSQL and machine learning-based matching. Participants will gain hands-on experience in full-stack engineering, data pipelines, semantic search, and secure, compliant web systems. You will be working with an interdisciplinary team of students and faculty.
Cancer Undergraduate Research Education Program (CUREP): The Cancer Undergraduate Research Education Program (CUREP) is a collaborative research and professional development program funded by the National Cancer Institute. Applications will be accepted from highly motivated UNC-CH, NCA&TSU, and NCCU undergraduate students to participate in our 10-week summer research program. The Program’s goal is to increase the participation and representation of students from medically underserved areas in cancer research, contributing significantly to the growth of the biomedical workforce.

The Role of the Office for Undergraduate Research (OUR)

The mission of the Office for Undergraduate Research (OUR) is to facilitate and enrich undergraduate research opportunities for all students and academic disciplines at Carolina. By engaging in research, students develop problem-solving skills and self-confidence, learn how discoveries are made, collaborate with faculty, and apply classroom knowledge to solve real-world problems. The OUR maintains a searchable database of research opportunities and provides professional and peer advising to aid students as they enter the research community. In addition, the OUR administers student funding for Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURFs) and offers travel awards for students to present their research at professional meetings.

UNC Asheville: A Spotlight on Undergraduate Research

UNC Asheville also provides ample grant opportunities to support your creative activities and research! Intrigued? Gain hands-on field experience pursuing a question and path of study that you design. Join more than 65 percent of UNCA’s undergraduates conducting research in labs, forests, theaters, and more, both in North Carolina and around the world.

UNC Charlotte: Research and Innovation

Whether you are interested in doing research at UNC Charlotte or seeking research-related support, the Office of Undergraduate Research is here to guide you! As featured in Inside Charlotte, former OUR Scholar Jordan Landis (SU 22, SP 23, SU 23, SP 24) describes the impact of her research to improve wastewater treatment in Charlotte with microplastic-eating algae. The Division of Research features OUR and the Summer Research Symposium. The Summer Research Symposium hosted nearly 150 student presenters across different disciplines at UNC Charlotte. Congratulations to Bree Johnson (SU 2024) for being named the 2024-2025 Southeastern Writing Center Association Undergraduate Tutor of the Year. As featured in Inside Charlotte, check out the recap of the Honors Research Symposium held Tuesday, Dec. We want to give a big congratulations to Dr. Erik Byker, OUR Senior Faculty Fellow and URC Committee Chairperson, for being selected as the UNC Charlotte recipient for one of 17 outstanding faculty members to receive the 2025 Awards for Excellence in Teaching by the UNC System!! We are very grateful for all of Dr. Congratulations to Arnav Sareen, one of the winners of the Barthalmus Awards for 2024!

Read also: A Guide to Undergraduate Research

Securing Funding for Research

Students can secure year-long grant funding or seek out generous departmental opportunities like the McCullough Fellowship. UNC Asheville also provides ample grant opportunities to support your creative activities and research!

Disseminating Research Findings

One of the most important aspects of research is putting it to the test in the public sphere; publishing it for others to evaluate, critique and build upon.

Read also: Comprehensive UROP Guide

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