Research
Research
As an undergraduate, there are so many reasons to learn about research! Undergraduate students often play vital roles performing research with faculty mentors. At universities everywhere, students explore and expand their understanding of various topics, while developing skills, techniques, and methodologies for undertaking this critically important work. At a local level, research occurs in every field of study at the College. Are you curious about what research might look like for you? Are you interested in exploring a concentration area and learning new skills? Do you have a research question and are committed to exploring it? Whether you have never done research, are preparing a senior thesis, or are looking for postgraduate support to fund a personal or service project, there is information and support for you at URAF and through the numerous resources available to you in the libraries, departments, and research centers at Harvard.
Define Your Goals
The first step in the process is self-assessment. Consider the type of experience you wish to have. While you probably have a network of people in your concentration area you can go to for advising, URAF staff members are also on hand if you want to have a conversation about your goals in the context of using the resources we manage.
Finding Suitable Research and Funding Opportunities
As you explore research and funding opportunities available through URAF, or elsewhere, pay close attention to the purpose of each opportunity and consider how it aligns with your goals. Be sure to sign up for our student newsletter to get notifications for info sessions that will expose you to the wide variety of funding opportunities.
Consult Knowledgeable Resources on Campus
Remember that we are here to help you identify opportunities related to your goals. In addition to the resources at 77 Dunster, every residential house on campus has at least one dedicated House Fellowships Tutor with whom you can discuss funding opportunities. They can also assist you with many aspects of the application process. Your professors, thesis advisors, and TFs are also excellent resources with whom you can discuss your academic goals, project plans, and even essay drafts you likely will write as part of an application.
Apply!
Once you have decided which funding opportunities to apply for, and begin reviewing the application instructions, you will discover that each one establishes a set of required materials that vary from competition to competition. The application essay(s) you will write, along with the letters of recommendation provided by persons you choose to advocate for you, will ultimately be the most influential components in determining outcomes. In some cases, you may also be invited for an interview.
Research FAQs
Search for research opportunities through various undergrad research databases (see External Resources), through CARAT, and through a Google search. Our Resources Directory highlights a few resources for databases or lists of opportunities compiled by other institutions. There are also many centers at Harvard that fund research abroad. Aside from databases, you can find opportunities through a web search using a combination of search terms that relate to your field of interest, timing of the experience (summer vs. academic term), location, etc.
At URAF, we only have one fund that can support research pursued at a different institution, the Herchel Smith Harvard Summer Research Program. The Harvard College Research Program (HCRP) can sometimes fund research pursued away from Harvard, but it must be conducted with a Harvard-affiliated faculty mentor. If you are doing field research in your home state or country, the Harvard faculty mentor need not be on-site with you. However, the project you are pursuing must be under their primary guidance and not the guidance of another faculty from an institution other than Harvard. Occasionally, there are cases where a Harvard faculty member is dually-appointed at institutions abroad in addition to their primary faculty position at Harvard. In these instances, if you pursued your research with them at another institution over a summer term, this would likely be eligible for funding through HCRP. If you have questions about the suitability of your proposed HCRP faculty mentor, please reach out to the HCRP Program Administrator well before the application deadline.
Use CARAT to explore opportunities other than research. CARAT is not an exhaustive list of all opportunities, though. Explore the Student Employment Office (SEO) job database site, your concentration department webpage, Crimson Careers, and centers for public service. Finally, connect with House tutors and proctors, peers with student organizations, advisors at the The Mignone Center for Career Success (MCS) as well as the Office of International Education (OIE) and more to also gather information about the possibilities!
A faculty member is Harvard-affiliated if they have a "professor title" at a Harvard University School. For instance, a scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital holds the title "Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School"; this means they are Harvard-affiliated. Others within the same institution may not hold this title, so are not considered Harvard-affiliated. If you are unsure, whether a professor is Harvard-affiliated or not, reach out to us.
Research assistantships can be found in various places: SEO employment site, academic department webpages, and at times, institute/research center pages. For life sciences, the Science Education Office also provides a list of opportunities. Many research assistantship opportunities are not posted, though, so talk to faculty members in the relevant department about possibility opportunities for collaboration.
Please contact URAF. For research programs outside of Harvard or within Harvard but not hosted by URAF, it's best to connect with the program itself as they might best answer your question.
No. For research programs within Harvard but not hosted by URAF, it's best to connect with the program itself as they will best answer your question.
Think about what topics you are interested in studying and whether you'd like to work independently on a question of your own design or whether you'd like to learn from a team. There are summer programs that focus on research within a specific field (for instance, Harvard's Immunology summer program is geared to students who want to do immunology-focused research) while others offer options in different fields or departments (for instance, Leadership Alliance sponsored summer programs). If this will be your first summer research experience, there's no need to know exactly what topics you'd like to dive into – apply widely and with an open mind.
Another thing to consider is location: where would you like to spend your summer? What universities or research centers are doing the research you are interested in? If you'd like to stay at Harvard or in the Cambridge/Boston area, there are a multitude of programs nearby! Consider summer programs in the Harvard Summer Undergraduate Research Village or independent project funding through the Harvard College Research Program. Explore individual departments or centers to see if they have their own summer research programs. For the life sciences, visit the Life Sciences Research Opportunities pages for a listing of opportunities. Don't want to be at Harvard? Summer Research Programs are hosted at universities and research enterprises across the U.S. and the world. Start your search by browsing our list of research databases. Alternatively, you might simply discover programs through an internet search by searching for your field of interest and "summer undergraduate research".
Summer research programs run for 6 weeks to 11 weeks. You should check each program to confirm the duration and the start date, if you are intending on pursuing other opportunities during the summer as well. Summer research programs may offer great benefits to you as a summer researcher. These benefits might include a living stipend, housing, transportation to and from the research campus, meal plans, transportation to and from your home to the research site. Be aware not all programs possess all of these benefits, so it's important that you read the program description and criteria closely before applying.
You can engage in summer research in different ways. Some students set up their own independent projects with a Harvard faculty mentor. Other students participate in summer programs, internships, or assistantships. While opportunities can be posted all year, applications for summer research programs (also framed as "summer research internship programs"), typically open in the middle of fall semester and have deadlines as early as late fall (early to mid-December; e.g. DAAD RISE internships for scientists & engineers) through late spring semester (with a majority of deadlines falling in early February and March!) If you are considering applying for a summer research program, start looking into summer research programs in early/mid-October, create a list of programs, their requirements, application components, and deadlines. For international opportunities, pay close attention to any additional required paperwork for the applications. Research assistantships within Harvard can be posted throughout the Fall and Spring semesters and filled on a rolling basis depending on the applicant pool. Internships for the summer are like summer programs, typically advertised during the Fall semester and fill in late Spring. For internships at specific companies, non-profits, or government agencies, consult with the Mignone Center for Career Success.
If you believe you should have access to CARAT but do not, please contact URAF at undergradresearch@fas.harvard.edu or fellowships@fas.harvard.edu. For all other technical issues, students should email ithelp@harvard.edu.