The Undergraduate Research Support Office is your hub to uncover and apply for relevant research opportunities. Below, and listed in menu at right, are our URS Funding Opportunities. Please be sure to contact us if you have any questions regarding these opportunities.
Along with these opportunities, we provide a full listing of opportunities that may be of interest to Duke undergraduates.
Deans' Summer Research Fellowship
The Academic Deans of Trinity College take pleasure in awarding the Deans' Summer Fellowships in support of undergraduate research and inquiry in the arts and sciences. The goals of the Deans' Summer Fellowship Program are to strengthen undergraduate research opportunities for undergraduates, to enlarge the scope of undergraduate research conducted on and off campus during the summer, and to provide support to enable undergraduates to extend the period over which they engage in research.
URS Independent Study Grant
URS Independent Study Grants are provided to help defray research expenses of up to $400 for students enrolled in faculty-supervised independent study courses or the equivalent such as thesis and research capstone courses. A grant makes funds available to purchase approved supplies and equipment (nondurable goods) for the research project. Grants may not be used to buy personal items, textbooks, pay for training or classes, or to pay salaries.
URS Assistantship Grant
URS Assistantship Grants provide funds for wages for students to assist faculty on a research project. Funding is available for all disciplines. Applications are open to all Duke undergraduates for summer, fall and spring funding. URS Assistantships can only be awarded if the research project is completely separate from a course or course credit. These assistantships can help to cover the gap in wages for work-study that financial aid does not cover or can help defray the cost of wages paid by faculty grants or other funds.
URS Conference Grants
A URS Conference Grant is an award of up to $500 to use towards attending and/or presenting research done at a national or regional meeting of a professional organization. The URS office can handle direct payment for registration or travel up to $500 or can work with a student to get reimbursed.
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
The Undergraduate Research Support Office is pleased to announce a new summer research program for rising-Sophomore Duke students, expanding on the success of the previous B-SURF program. The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) is an 8-week paid summer program for rising sophomores interested in Biological, Brain, and Behavioral Science, Social Science, or Humanities research. Students work with faculty mentors to learn how to ask research questions, engage disciplinary methodologies, and explore those skills in workshops to develop professional competencies and learn how to share research with a range of audiences. Students will receive a stipend and housing on Duke’s campus as part of the fellowship.
DiSTEM Conference Award
One of the ways that URS is working to promote a sense of researcher identity is by providing an opportunity for students to attend and present their research at a conference aimed towards supporting the scientific development of students from marginalized groups. The DiSTEM Conference Award will cover registration, travel, meals and accommodations for the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists, a meeting founded “to encourage minority, first-generation, veteran, and disabled students to pursue higher education in STEM.”
Program II Research Funds
Program II students can apply for funds to cover travel, research, and conference attendance in support of their senior capstone project.