Undergraduate Research
Discover a world of research at UCalgary
What I loved about the research process was that every day was different if I wanted it to be. I thought it would be really rigid, a list of tasks to do. I thought it would be a job. But it turned out to be a passionate lifestyle.
Billy "Me" Wijaya
Faculty of Arts, PURE 2024
Why should you do undergraduate research?
Engaging in undergraduate research can play a pivotal role in your professional and academic development and further develop your skills:
- Go in-depth on a subject of interest to you
- Collaborate with researchers, experts, and practitioners
- Develop your problem-solving abilities and grow your resiliency
- Sharpen your critical thinking and analytical skills
- Hone your autonomy and sense of self
- Clarify your career interests and expand possibilities
What is undergraduate research?
Undergraduate research gives you an opportunity to explore a research question that leads you to discovery, creativity and innovation. The research you do, under the guidance of an instructor or a mentor, can have a real impact on the world and result in an original contribution to a field of knowledge.
It's an opportunity to gain confidence and skills in research, scholarship, or creative expression — there are many types of research to explore!
High-quality research experiences will:
- Evoke your curiosity
- Engage you in the process of discovery
- Provide opportunities to share your findings
- Extend your learning through critical reflection
Ready for Research
Get ready to engage in research with this badge program that covers everything from how to choose a topic to managing a research project.
Undergraduate Research Summer Studentships
Awards up to $7,500 give you an opportunity to lead your own summer research project with an on-campus mentor.
Student stories
Read student stories about the variety of ways to engage in research at UCalgary.
Dive into undergraduate research
Check out this series of open-access videos where UCalgary graduate students provide useful insights related to developing research skills.
Undergraduate student Lauryn Anderson tests an app she created as part of the PURE program with her supervisors Dr. Lora Oehlberg, PhD, and Dr. Wesley Willet, PhD.
Elyse Bouvier/University of Calgary 2023
Course-based undergraduate research
Implementing a high-quality research experience in a course provides an opportunity that sparks students’ curiosity, and drives student-led discovery while allowing students the chance to disseminate their findings and reflect on the process.
Faculty resources
Undergraduate research experiences engage students in the process of discovery. Find resources to bring undergraduate research into your courses or get involved by supervising a summer research student.
Department of Geoscience PhD student Gerardo Zegers and undergraduate student/field assistant David Garcia Larez deploy i-buttons temperature loggers to study the permafrost on Fortress Mountain. Zegers and Garcia are students of Dr. Masaki Hayashi.
University of Calgary 2020
Undergraduate research news
Undergraduate research mini story: Samantha Faith Cruz
Project: Equity in Action: A Study of Intersectional Entrepreneurs in Calgary | Chad Saunders, Haskayne School of Business
Undergraduate research mini story: Gurshaan Sidhu
Project: Cognitive reserve as a moderator of the association between brain structure and later-life behavioural symptoms across the neurocognitive spectrum | Supervisor: Zahinoor Ismail, Cumming School of Medicine
Field-based student-led snow surveys give hands-on insight into water futures
New collaborative research initiative aims to study snowpack and water availability