Undergraduate Research Program
  • Percentage of 2022 graduating seniors who participated in research by graduation 25% 25%

About

The Undergraduate Research Program is a new initiative from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science to develop first-in-class research opportunities that lead to undergraduates who are well-informed about engineering career opportunities in both academic and corporate settings.

UCLA Samueli boasts some of the world’s top researchers working at the forefront of technological innovation. In collaboration with multiple UCLA schools as well as universities around the globe, the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science is leading initiatives that have the potential to change our world.

URP has two programs – the academic year program and the summer program.

There are 8 peer advisors between UIP and URP. Get to know this year’s team of peer advisors here!

Get to know our amazing statistics from this Fall’s peer advising sessions by clicking on the link below!

Fall 2024 Peer Advising Data Flyer

Program Components

URP spans the academic year and consists of several workshops and activities.

  • Technical Presentation Lab
  • Poster Workshops
  • Undergraduate Research Week Poster Day
  • Professional Development Workshops and Industry Info-Sessions
  • End of Year Awards Reception

Program Benefits

  • Master various skills, including deciphering technical journal articles and communicating research findings.
  • Advising on securing paid research or industry positions.
  • Network with industry representatives in an intimate setting.
  • Be recognized for your research and receive an official certificate signed by the Dean.
  • Qualify for a $750 award for Best Poster and/or Best Presentation.

Peer Advising

Why Meet with Peer Advisors?
Meet the Team
Book a Peer Advising Appointment
Join Drop-In Advising Zoom
Click to access our Peer Advising Resource Guide!

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Quarterly Research Fair

URP Winter 2025 Research Fair
Date: Tuesday, February 18
Time: 5 – 7 PM
Location: Mong Auditorium and Cohen Room, E-VI

This quarter’s undergraduate research fair hosted by URP will be on Tuesday, February 18th from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm in the Cohen Room and Patio. There will be 20 labs in attendance representing a variety of disciplines and looking to recruit undergraduates like you! The research fair is open to all undergraduate engineering students. Due to high attendance at previous fairs, we will be capping it this time. Therefore, please RSVP here as soon as possible! Please reach out to URP@seas.ucla.edu with any questions. Hope to see you there! Please save the date and plan on bringing a physical copy of your CV/resume along with a shareable digital version. The dress code is casual. The labs in attendance are detailed in the Google forms. Please note that this opportunity is only for UCLA undergraduate engineering students. BruinCard or UCLA UID is required to check-in.

Spring 2025 Week 3 Research Opportunities

Unfortunately, due to budget restraints, the Undergraduate Research Portal is leaving myUCLA. If you are currently searching for open research opportunities, we encourage you to visit the Undergraduate Research Center website. There, you can explore the “Get Started” tab, which provides helpful advice on how to search for faculty mentors through the UCLA department directories and contact them directly to inquire about available research positions. The Undergraduate Research Center also hosts numerous “Getting into Research & SRP-99” workshops each quarter. You may view the workshop schedule on their website here.

Looking to conduct research over the summer?
For a full list of summer research programs, click here!

Join the URC Sciences Mailing List
Join the Undergraduate Research Center – Sciences mailing list to be notified of scholarships, programs, events, and other resources! We send out monthly newsletters and additional reminders for upcoming research-related opportunities.

Sign up here.


SPE WRM Conference
Dates: April 27 – May 1
Location: Hyatt Regency Orange County

UCLA students, professors, and colleagues are invited to attend the WRM 2025 Conference, which will include over 95 curated technical presentations, two topical Panel Sessions with SMEs making their views and opinions set out for discussion, four 1-day short courses on topics of current interest, and three field trips to visit oil/gas and geothermal facilities not normally open to the public.

SPE WRM 2025 Networking Luncheon
Additionally, a limited number of complimentary tickets for the Networking Luncheon on Wednesday, April 30 are available – students, teachers & colleagues are encouraged to join! The first 20 individuals who email Eva Cheung (eva.yu.cheung@gmail.com) to reserve their spots will enjoy free admission and parking. Details can be found in the flyer above.


James Dyson Award

The James Dyson Award, an international student design and engineering competition, and is now open for 2025 submissions. From everyday challenges to the world’s most pressing issues, the Award calls for current or recent students to submit problem-solving ideas that could make a real difference to people’s lives. There are prizes of up to $35,000. Apply now!


Southern California AI Responsibility Summit

Attend the Southern California AI Responsibility Summit (SAIRS), California’s largest student-led AI conference, with over 600 participants, in partnership with speakers and sponsors from Google, Nvidia, Microsoft, Meta, NASA, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), McKinsey & Co., IBM, Jane Street, and more!

Alongside the conference, SAIRS is hosting a research competition and hackathon with the chance to win exciting prizes.

Check out the following links to get involved:
AI Hackathon Registration
Research Submission

For more information, visit the Bruin AI website or follow Bruin AI on Instagram @bruin_ai.


Prototypes for Humanity 2025

In partnership with Dubai Future Foundation, the Prototypes for Humanity initiative has gained recognition from BBC, CNN, Forbes, and other leading platforms. Over the past decade, Prototypes for Humanity has engaged with 20,000+ professors and students from 800 universities in 100+ countries. Participation is completely free and Prototypes for Humanity provides comprehensive support to the 100 selected projects to travel to Dubai. Learn more here!


Undergraduate Research Week 2025
As UCLA’s largest undergraduate conference, Undergraduate Research Week is a campus-wide celebration of research and creative inquiry. The week will include the Research and Creativity Showcase, special student panels, roundtable discussions, and events hosted by our partners across campus. Applications to present at the URW 2025 Showcase are due by April 15, 2025. Learn more here!

Additionally, apply for URW awards!
Library Prize for Undergraduate Research: Recognizes and honors research excellence and includes cash prizes ranging from $400 to $700 across various project categories. Due March 26.
Dean’s Prize – Sciences: awarded for outstanding livestreamed presentations of faculty-mentored research at the Undergraduate Research & Creativity Showcase. Due April 18.


LABEST 2025

The UCLA Technology Development Group (TDG) is pleased to announce the 2025 LABEST Pearl Cohen Scientific Poster Award Competition. TDG is accepting poster submissions through their application portal. This is a unique opportunity to showcase your research program to Pharma and Biotech executives, leaders and investors. The poster session will be held virtually on our LABEST digital poster platform and in-person at the LABEST Bioscience event on Thursday, May 22, 2025, at the UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center. Poster submission deadline: Thursday, April 17


Applying to Graduate School
Date: Thursday, April 24
Time: 5 – 6:30 PM

Location: Zoom (will receive after registration)

Are you a year out from graduation? Are you wondering if applying to graduate school is right for you? Want to learn more about the process? Join us at this info-session to hear from current UCLA Samueli Engineering graduate students as they share their reasoning for applying to and attending graduate school.  They will also share details on how they decided on the program to apply to, the application process and timeline.

We will also share information about our new online Masters in Engineering program (MEng) and the difference between the MSOL and traditional Master’s program! RSVP here!

Additionally, several of our UIP/URP Peer Advisors have already successfully applied and been accepted to graduate school! Make an appointment with them today to learn more about their experiences.

Interested in research?

Want to get involved in a research lab?

Come to our quarterly research fair!

This is an opportunity for students to network with participating labs from UCLA.

All majors are welcome!

Check out the flyer on this page for more details!

Publishing Research

The Undergraduate Research & Creativity Showcase, the main event of Undergraduate Research Week, will take place on May 20, 2025, featuring live-streamed panels where students will share 5-10 minute presentations of their research and creative projects, followed by Q&A. These presentations will be organized into topical panels across three sessions throughout the day. Additionally, from May 19-23, 2025, visitors can explore multimedia and recorded presentations on the Undergraduate Research Week website, which will feature an interactive display of projects organized by field. Students interested in presenting their work can apply by April 15th. Please refer to the URC Sciences website for more information.

Click this link to see the journal publications of our students! 

Are you interested in publishing your research? Please visit the application website here!

Read Our Weekly URP Newsletter Here

Our weekly URP newsletter is packed with amazing information about research opportunities, resources, events, and more!

Research Resouces

Wondering How to Get into a Research Lab?

Looking to find a research lab and don’t know where to start? Our experienced Peer Advisors have crafted a guide to help you out. Click here to embark on your lab search!

Check out our YouTube! We have informational videos that will optimize your chances of getting into a research lab.

– Click here if you are interested in learning how to attend a research conference

– Click here if you are interested in learning how to apply to Grad school

Winter Student Organizations & Activities

WINTER 2024 SITE IS LIVE!! Click here to explore engineering orgs at UCLA.

This platform seeks to connect students, particularly first years and transfers, to engineering organizations. Check out the general Winter opportunities and specific Transfer opportunities to get involved! More information can be found here.

Career Center Advising
Drop-in Advising
(Virtual and In-person)

Visit the Career Center virtual drop-in room or come the Career Center in-person located at the Strathmore Building, 2nd floor. You will be able to get help with resume/cover letter reviews and job and internship questions.

Hours

Tuesday-Thursday
10:00am-2:00pm

Access Virtual Drop-In Sessions

Discover Types of Research

Finding a Lab

Explore these resources to find a lab that’s a good fit for you:

Getting Course Credit for Research

ENGR 24: Finding an Undergraduate Research Opportunity Seminar

ENGR 24 is a new course offered during Spring quarter designed to help engineering students secure their first research position! Take a look at the syllabus (S23) and infosession (W23) to learn more.

Additional Courses:

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP)

Currently looking for research, or already in a lab? The Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) is an umbrella program that scaffolds summer undergraduate research opportunities at UCLA Samueli Engineering, including Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). SURP is a 10-week program and runs from June 24 to August 30 for Summer 2024.

If you are new to research and/or are interested in doing full time, in person, paid summer research, SURP could be a great fit for you! If you are interested in participating in the UCLA Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), schedule a peer advising session with Solia or Ananya this quarter!

Visit this website for more information about the program.

Summer Research Opportunities

Contact Us

Drop by Boelter 6288 during our hours 9am-5pm to talk to one of our peer advisors about getting into research or feel free to contact us anytime at urp@seas.ucla.edu