Gupta College Research Opportunities

Gaining research experience is an excellent way to apply knowledge gained in the classroom, explore areas of potential career or graduate school interest, and develop valuable skill sets. In fact, undergraduate and graduate research is considered a “high-impact practice” nationally that helps prepare students so that they are “career-ready” while also sharpening a student’s critical thinking skills.

In addition to the information below, please also visit CCU’s Undergraduate Research website for tips to get started. 

Explore Research Menu

Research Fellows Program

Vertically Integrated Projects

How to Get Started

Getting Started in Research

How to find an opportunity

• Explore the Gupta College of Science research webpages. Check out our VIP teams page to learn more about some of the research projects in our College.
• Explore GCOS departmental webpages and look over faculty profiles to learn about research interests.
• Meet your professors during office hours or after class to ask questions about their research and opportunities in their labs.
• Be open to a broad array of opportunities
  • Many skills can be applied to many different research areas. For example, biologists use lots of statistics which can be developed with the aid of data analysis software.
  • Any opportunity to gain research experience is a great opportunity. Most majors have multidisciplinary applications. For example, all of our majors are important for understanding flood impacts and human response – an issue that directly affects our region.
  • Some skill sets will provide a unique background that may improve your ability to become involved with other research opportunities in the future.
• Contact faculty with a brief email (example email below)
  • Introduce yourself
  • Explain why you are contacting
  • Briefly mention your research interests
  • Briefly mention your goals for participating in the research
  • Mention any skills you might already bring to a research environment

Example email:

Dear Professor Last name,

My name is (Your name), and I am a (first year, sophomore, etc.) majoring in (your major here) at CCU. I am reaching out to express my interest in gaining some research experience. Your research in the area of (research topic) is very interesting and aligns with my interests.

I am seeking to gain experience that will help me learn beyond the classroom about (research topic). This will help me gain skills while determining what type of career path or graduate program I will pursue after completing my undergraduate degree. I am hoping to gain skills related to (bench chemistry, field methods, data processing, etc.). I am already gaining experience with (sample collection, lab skills, and computer skills like MATLAB or R) and would like to apply and further develop my expertise.

Are you presently working with any research students? Would it be possible to work with you? If so, is research for credit a possibility? What types of responsibilities do you expect in your research students? Other brief questions you may have.

Thank you for your time. Please let me know if I can visit your office or set up a video call to learn more about your research.

Thanks again,

Your name and student ID number

Major and expected graduation year (e.g. Biochemistry, class of 20XX)