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Looking for Research?

The following projects have been shared with us by faculty who are seeking undergraduate researchers to work with them. Projects appear on this page from newest at the top to oldest at the bottom. 

NOTE: We do not always get updates when positions have been filled, so in order to find out whether an opportunity is still available, you must reach out to the point of contact listed.

Interested in reaching out to a point of contact, but not sure how to compose the email? OURSD is here to help! Fill out this form to connect with us for a meeting. 

Faculty interested in advertising open undergraduate research positions should email us at OURSD-general@andrew.cmu.edu.

Summer Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship (SURA) (Posted 3/1/24)

The Summer Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship (SURA) course awards tuition-free elective credit to undergraduates at Carnegie Mellon for existing faculty projects focused on undergraduate research or creative inquiry under the direction of a Carnegie Mellon faculty member. Students are responsible for finding a faculty member who is willing and able to supervise them over the summer. Tenure track, teaching track, research track, librarian track, and special faculty at Carnegie Mellon may serve as SURA mentors.

To make it easier to connect to potential mentors, we have compiled a list of faculty-led projects that are seeking SURA researchers. Be sure to follow the instructions in Column K if you are interested in pursuing any of the opportunities listed, and keep checking back for updates since new projects will continue to be added. Students who would like to find a mentor outside of this list or who have questions about SURA participation are encouraged to sign up for a one-on-one appointment with the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholar Development. Student registration for 2024 SURA is due on May 20, 2024, and faculty research mentors must approve their students' registrations by May 22, 2024.

 

NSF REU: Undergraduate Robotics Research for Rural Appalachia (Posted 4/16/24)

*This research opportunity is not affilated with Carnegie Mellon University

Deadline to apply: Wednesday, May 10, 2024

This NSF-Funded REU site will promote STEM opportunities through robotics-related research, education, and outreach. Participants will perform fundamental research leading to hands-on experimental demonstrations. 

The project areas will lead to innovation to address topics including: 1) natural swarm imitation 2) resilient drone motion in forests; 3) estimation methods for under-canopy localization; 4) low-energy strategies for multi-robot monitoring of environments with autonomous blimps; 5) decision-making approaches for driving in forest trails; and 6) new legged robots for agriculture applications. During the selection process, REU applicants will be requested to list their top three interests from these research areas. More information about each area, and the application link, is available here.

Participation benefits: Stipend of $7,000 ($700/week for 10-weeks), lodging, meal expenses, travel reimbursement to/from REU Site (limited to ~$500/participant) and comprehensive training to move participants toward intellectual and research independence.

Program dates: May 20-July 26, 2024 (10 weeks in duration). 

Eligibility:

  • U.S. citizenship or permanent residency is required.
  • Students must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate program (no specific majors are required).
  • Students must not have completed an undergraduate degree prior to the summer program.
  • Students from any higher-education institution of the U.S. are eligible, but students from institutions in the Appalachian region (which includes Carnegie Mellon!) are especially encouraged to apply.

Point of contact: Dr. Jason Gross (PI) and Dr. Guilherme Pereira (Co-PI)

 

Shenoy Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience  (Posted 4/4/24)

*This research opportunity is not affilated with Carnegie Mellon University

Deadline to apply: Wednesday, May 1, 2024

The Simons Foundation is accepting applications from undergraduate students for the 2024 Shenoy Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience (SURFiN). The SURFiN program aims to spark and sustain interest in neuroscience among undergraduate students whose backgrounds and experiences are underrepresented in science by providing funds for paid in-person research assistantships during the academic year.

Please share this opportunity widely. Applications and letters of recommendation are due 12:00 p.m. (noon) Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

Information Session:
We encourage interested undergraduate students to attend a virtual informational webinar on Thursday, April 11, 2024, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Students may register here.

Program:
SURFiN provides funds for paid in-person research assistantships for eligible undergraduate students living near participating SURFiN laboratories in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Fellows receive a commitment of $25 USD/hour for 10 hours a week over 30 weeks from September 2024 through May 2025. Detailed information, including the location of SURFiN laboratories, eligibility criteria and application instructions, is available here.

In addition to funding support, the program includes mentorship from an early-career scientist, participation in community and career development meetings and an end-of-year research symposium for fellows to present their work in New York City.

Please contact SURFiN@simonsfoundation.org with any questions about the program.

 

Project: SC24 Student Cluster Competition - Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (Posted 1/29/24)

Deadline to apply: Monday, February 26th

Summer start date: May 28, 2024 (There will be 20 hours of work in March-April 2024 to complete the competition application.)

More details and application instructions here.

A team of six students, with sponsorship from an industry partner, will design and build small clusters, learn scientific applications, and apply optimization techniques for their chosen architectures. Hopefully, the team will be selected to compete in a non-stop, 48-hour challenge (HPC-A-PALOOZA) at SC24. Participants will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience and knowledge in research computing, form valuable relationships with leaders in academia and industry, and attend prominent conferences.

The goal of this summer program at PSC is for the students to have an immersive high performance computing experience. The students will be undergraduates at either Carnegie Mellon University or the University of Pittsburgh. They will spend 11 weeks in the summer, working with advisors from the universities and PSC, engaging with hardware and software, and learning different scientific applications. If accepted to the SC24 Students Cluster Competition, students will continue this work into the fall 2024 semester to prepare for the competition.   

Responsibilities include:

  • Learn and understand the the SC24 Student Cluster Competition Challenge
  • Collaborate with peers to successfully craft a proposal as well as design and build small clusters, learn scientific applications, and apply optimization techniques for their chosen architectures 
  • Attend SC24 in Atlanta, GA in November 18 - 20, 2024

Successful candidates will have the following:

  • Candidates must be pursuing an undergraduate (bachelor’s) degree. 
  • Excellent communication skills and ability to work in a team environment.
  • Excellent problem-solving skills and creativity.
  • Students need to supply their own computer/laptop.

Point of contact: Valerie Rossi - vrossi@psc.edu 

 

Project: Energy equity issues in the U.S. (Posted 1/23/24)

Our research, spearheaded by Prof. Destenie Nock, centers on energy equity issues in the US. This project will support a growing body of energy vulnerability research as we build on methods to understand energy-limiting behavior among low-income households and other issues. We will leverage utility energy consumption data and other sources to understand how heating and cooling practices vary with income and other key demographics. Further research will also consider the effectiveness and equity implications of energy support and energy efficiency programs.

Potential Tasks (depending on the candidate):

  • Data management (would require previous coding experience in R and/or Python; some data management experience preferred)
    • Help clean, merge, and format energy consumption data
    • Identify and filter gaps in datasets
  • Modeling Support (would require previous data analytics experience in R and/or Python; Data Science, Statistics, or ML experience preferred)
    • Help run large datasets through, for example, a piecewise linear regression model
    • Help identify and fit model parameters for sample subsets
    • Support with visualizing and reporting findings
  • Literature Review
    • Support with a review and critiques of current methods for measuring energy vulnerability
    • Support with a review of existing methods for measuring household well-being as it relates to heating and cooling in the home 

Requirements:

  • Strong background in data analysis and modeling in Python and R.
  • Ability to work collaboratively in a research team.
  • Availability for ~6-12 hrs/week during the semester 
  • Willingness to conduct research for class credits during the Spring semester

Relevant papers:

Point of contact: Kester Wade