Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium

Text "Undergraduate Research Symposium Presented by the Undergraduate Research Support Office and Muser at Duke University" over a background of Bostock Library

The 2026 Duke Undergraduate Research Symposium will take place:

  April 16, 2026 | 2-6 pm | The Edge, Bostock Library

Our annual symposium is a celebration of ongoing research from across campus being conducted by our talented undergraduate students.

This year, the Duke Undergraduate Research Symposium will feature student research flash talks in addition to poster presentations. Students who feel as though their research is best shared in a talk format will get the chance to share alongside peers who choose to present a poster.

Also new this year, our symposium will have a session featuring Distinguished Senior Thesis Talks. Seniors pursuing Graduation with Distinction are invited to apply to give one of these talks. Three senior students, one each from Natural & Quantitative Sciences, Social Sciences, and Arts & Humanities, will be selected to present on their senior thesis research.

Duke Community: We invite you to attend our annual symposium to show your support of our undergraduate researchers and get a sense of the vast research being done in Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural & Quantitative Sciences here on our campus.

This event is produced in partnership with Muser at Duke University.

Register Here

Please review all instructions on this webpage to ensure you fully understand the expectations and requirements for each presentation format prior to submitting your work or contacting us with questions.

Anticipated Schedule

  • 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Duke Alumni Panel, Bostock Library Room 127
  • 3:00 pm – 3:45 pm: Poster Session I and Flash Talks
  • 3:50 pm – 4:00 pm: Trinity Leadership Remarks
  • 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm: 3 Distinguished Senior Thesis Talks
  • 5:15 pm – 6:00 pm: Poster Session II and Flash Talks

Presenter Information

All student presenters must register for the symposium and submit an abstract via the link on this page. Presenters can indicate whether they would like to present a poster or be considered for a research talk. Senior undergraduates who want to be considered for a Distinguished Senior Thesis talk will have the opportunity to apply for the session on the registration form as well. Abstract submissions are open February 3 - March 27, or until we reach capacity, whichever comes first. Those who want to be considered for a Distinguished Thesis talk must submit their abstract and registration no later than March 18. 

Presenters will be notified by April 3 if they have been assigned a poster or flash talk or have been chosen to give a Distinguished Senior Thesis talk.

Submission Requirements

  • You are required to have your faculty mentor approve the submission of your abstract before you submit the abstract and registration form. Please discuss this with them prior to submitting this form. Note that your faculty research mentor will receive a follow up email with a copy of everything once you submit this form.
  • You will NOT be able to make edits or changes to your abstract once you submit the form. It is rather difficult for us to manage edits for over 100 presenters, so we have to remain strict on this policy. You will be required to acknowledge your understanding of this on the registration and submission form.
  • Your abstract will go into our Undergraduate Research Symposium Abstract Book that will be publicly available online.
  • Abstracts should be a single paragraph, with no references, of no more than 2500 characters (including spaces and excluding title and authors). You may use Greek letters and symbols, but italics, bold, and underlining are not permitted in the abstract text.
  • You may reuse abstracts you've used for previous conferences

Poster Requirements

  • Posters must not exceed 48x36 inches.
  • You may list up to four co‑presenters for your poster. Research groups should coordinate internally to choose one representative to complete the submission form and ensure that all team members agree on the information submitted.
  • If you already have a poster that you have used to present your research at a previous symposium, you are welcome to use that.
  • If you need a new poster: Consult with your research mentor to determine if they have the funds to cover poster printing. Our office will set up a conference pickup link so that you can submit your poster to be printed (and your method of payment) through PhD Posters that we will send to all presenters by April 3. You will be able to pick up the poster in Bostock Library on the day of the symposium. You can also print your poster with any other vendor you choose.
    • If using our conference pickup link:  Posters must be submitted through the Duke URS group account by Monday, April 13, at 6 pm. Posters will be delivered by PhD Posters by 1pm to Bostock on the day of the Symposium (April 16).

PhD Posters Conference Pick-up Link

Research Flash Talk Requirements

  • You may present your research with up to 1 other undergraduate co-presenter. You should coordinate internally to choose one person to complete the submission form and ensure that both of you agree on the information submitted.
  • Research talk duration must not exceed 7 minutes.
  • Complete presentation slides must be submitted by Tuesday, April 14 at 5:00 pm. Slides must be in pptx format. Complete presentation slides must be submitted by Tuesday, April 14 at 5 pm. All slides must be in .pptx format. If your presentation is selected, the planning committee will contact you with instructions for submitting your slides as well as any additional updates related to your Talk.
  • If selected to give a Flash Talk, you will be required to attend a dress rehearsal for your talk on Monday, April 13 (time is flexible).

Distinguished Senior Thesis Talk Requirements

  • You must be a senior presenting on your Graduation with Distinction senior thesis.
  • The application for the Distinguished Senior Thesis Talk is within the abstract and registration form for the symposium. If you indicate that you would like to be considered for this honor, you will be required to answer questions related to your motivation and your research project.
  • Applications for a Distinguished Senior Thesis Talk will require a recommendation from your faculty research mentor. They will receive a request for this recommendation after you submit the registration form.
  • In order to be considered, you must submit your application by March 18 at 5 pm.
  • The Distinguished Senior Thesis Talk will be 15 minutes total; please plan for a 10‑minute presentation followed by 5 minutes for questions.
  • If selected, you will be required to attend a dress rehearsal for the talks on Monday, April 13th in Bostock Library (flexible on time).
  • Complete presentation slides must be submitted by Tuesday, April 14 at 5:00 pm. Slides must be in pptx format. Complete presentation slides must be submitted by Tuesday, April 14 at 5 pm. All slides must be in .pptx format. If your presentation is selected, the planning committee will contact you with instructions for submitting your slides as well as any additional updates related to your Talk.