A young woman prints paper on a hand press with natural ink.

Undergraduate Research

Discover a world of research at UCalgary

Explore

Spark your curiosity as you participate in the process of discovery through research.

Engage

Start your journey through the Ready for Research badge program for undergraduate students.

Experience

Take part in a summer studentship and experience research outside the classroom.

Enhance

Find undergraduate research opportunities and events on campus and create a plan to get involved.

A young student poses with a book on her head.

Those ‘gaps’ and ‘walls’ that a researcher encounters are not stopping places—they’re starting places. They are questions that no one has asked yet, so maybe I can be the one to ask them.

Bonnie Piercy

Faculty of Arts, PURE 2022


A graphic showing the areas of high-quality undergraduate research experiences including curiosity, discovery, dissemination, and reflection.

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

Hands looking through a folder of archival material.

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.

A student looks at a computer with code on it.

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.

A student holds paper created for a research project.

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.

Upcoming events



A student laughs with her supervisors in an office.

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.

Two researchers stand on the side of a mountain with a valley behind them.

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

Student finds her passion in an unexpected place: UCalgary summer program

How 3 summers inspired master’s candidate Megan Harmon to pursue a career in data science and health research

Looking back on a year of exceptional undergraduate research experiences

In 2023, students researched everything from natural dyes to AI detection tools during summer studentships

Class of 2023: Job in a genetics research lab came with surprising benefits for UCalgary undergrad

Hands-on experience widened Jess Churcher’s education and opened a door to a future career

UCalgary researchers discover unique differences in cancer cells based on where they are in a tumour

Findings indicate cells at the edge of a tumour may hold the key to guide treatment

How a summer research project helped an undergrad heal

Student-researcher Nick Basilio uses PURE award to create autoethnography on his experience as a queer, racialized runner

UCalgary nursing student creates inclusive guide for starting IVs

Tolu Adewole wants to fill knowledge gap in training for working with patients of colour