Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Advising

Undergraduate Research

Research Opportunities

Do you want Research-related opportunities emailed directly to you? Complete the Career Interest Survey, which we use to send you opportunities specific to your research and/or career interests!

Chemistry & Biochemistry Research at UCSC: Life Changing Science - a slideshow highlighting the Chemistry & Biochemistry research being done by our amazing faculty at UCSC!
Current Chemistry-related Job, Internship, & Research Opportunities – a continuously updated list of job, internship, and research opportunities that the Chemistry & Biochemistry Department has been asked to advertise and that may be of interest to current and recently graduated Chemistry & Biochemistry students.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities at UCSC
STEM Diversity @ UCSC - STEM Diversity Research Programs prepare students to pursue and attain higher degrees in STEM. These students gain research experience and opportunities for professional development while obtaining holistic support and mentoring.
Science Division Undergraduate Work-Study Research Initiative (WRSI) - This initiative allows undergraduate students interested in STEM research that fill out a survey that collects information about each student’s desire to do research, their career goals, and relevant past experiences. Faculty that are looking to hire undergraduate researchers may consult this list to find candidates they’d like to recruit.
Paid Summer Undergraduate Research Experiences List from IBP (Over 600 programs! NSF REU, NASA, NIH and other paid summer research opportunities for undergrads)
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center’s catalog of biomedical research internships offered nationwide for high school, undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, graduate, and first-year medical students.

How to get involved in undergraduate research in a UCSC lab

Getting involved in research is a highly impactful decision that you will make as an undergraduate student. For students interested in pursuing grad school, undergraduate research is a way of expanding your education outside of the classroom and better preparing yourself for the rigors of graduate study. The right research experience can greatly enhance your education and further your preparation for industry, business, and professional schools.

Getting involved in an undergraduate research project is not like signing up for a class. Instead, it is much more like obtaining a job – you need to find an available research position and then sell yourself for that position.

Step-by-Step process for getting involved in research at UCSC:

There is a recording of the Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Research Information Session held on November 8, 2023 at UC Santa Cruz. Students interested in participating in Chemistry and Biochemistry-related research should watch this video and read along with the "step-by-step" tips below. Those two references, together, are a great starting guide to help begin the search for a research opportunity. Here is a link to a folder of documents designed to support undergraduates as they embark on their research journey (collated by graduate student, Sarah Levy, for the 2022 Undergraduate Research Info Session).

Step One: Activate

Some things that you can do to get more involved with research before you get a research position are:

First and Second Year students – plan ahead by attending workshops and events held by the Undergraduate Research Office.
Attend the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, Poster Session, & Panel Discussion in late May or early June.
Consider joining the “Chemistry Club” – The Chemistry Club at UCSC is a great way for students to meet others interested in Chemistry and a great way to meet professors and talk to them about their research

Step 2: Brainstorm

Think about courses you’ve taken or other educational experiences you’ve had and make a list of those subjects that you find most interesting (for ideas on topics to list, scan through your science and textbook indices).
Look at the department research section of our website for subjects in which you are interested.
What are you excited about? Start searching the web to find out what is happening in this area.
Are there news stories about flashy new discoveries? Check out the Chemistry & Biochemistry department news & events website.

Once you have evaluated your research interests and organized your time (plan on up to 15 hours per week), the next step is finding a faculty mentor. As part of a collaborative research team, you will need to find the right position both for you and your potential research lab.

Step 3: Identify possible research mentors

Once you have an idea of the area in which you would like to do research, you are now ready to find a mentor.

Research your potential faculty mentor: Identify a few faculty and read about their general area of research. The Chemistry & Biochemistry department’s faculty listings describe the professor’s research and list recent articles.
When you are researching potential faculty mentors, make sure they are conducting research in your area of interest. You should be able to connect your coursework or previous volunteer/research experience to the research project you are applying for.

Step 4: Contact potential mentors

Send an email to potential faculty members introducing yourself and clearly indicating your purpose for contacting them. This “cover letter” should include the following:

Name and major/department affiliation
Purpose for contacting them
Major research interests and enthusiasm for gaining research experience
How do your research interests relate to the research being done in said laboratory (ie. Why are you interested in their specific laboratory?)
Include your contact information (email, phone, etc.)
As an attachment to your email, include your curriculum vitae (CV). A CV is similar to a resume but is specific to your academic career. Include:
Relevant coursework – you may want to include a short description of techniques/concepts mastered.
Leadership experience (on/off campus) and work experience that demonstrates organizational skills, independent thinking, etc.)
Honors, awards or distinctions (include name of award, granting college/department, and monetary value if appropriate)
Some faculty members may also require a copy of your unofficial transcript.

NOTE: When you contact potential mentors, you may find that one or more of them is unable to accept you into his/her lab. This may be due to a variety of circumstances so do not take it personally. Students often become discouraged in the search for a research position because they have sent many e-mails to faculty and have gotten no replies. Try not to let it get you down! Your letter may not have reached them, they might be out of town, they may be busy and unable to respond in a timely manner. Sometimes the reason for lack of response is something that can be fixed by using proper business communication etiquette. See the following examples of good and bad letters so you can learn how to write a better letter of inquiry to a potential employer.

Letter Etiquette

Sample Cover Letter

Sample Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Step 5: Academic Credit

Once you've been approved in a lab, decide if you have space for/desire to earn credit for your participation in the lab. Students may receive credit for participating in research at UCSC by enrolling in the following courses:

CHEM 199 – Senior Research: Independent Research in Lab (5 credits)
CHEM 199F – Senior Research: Independent Research in Lab (2 credits)

If you'd like to earn credit for your undergraduate research, please use this link to complete a petition for a Chemistry/Biochemistry Independent Study course. All Research Independent Study courses require a faculty sponsor.

NOTE: Students may earn a total of 15 units of academic credit for independent research in a lab.

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