Undergraduate Research Support Office at Duke University

Extended Deadline for Senior Thesis Presentations 📢⁠
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The Undergraduate Research Symposium has extended its application deadline for Senior Thesis Talks to March 27. Duke seniors now have additional time to submit their work for consideration in this year’s signature academic showcase.⁠
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We are proud to debut the Distinguished Senior Thesis Talks, featuring three exceptional seniors, with one representing the Natural & Quantitative Sciences, the Social Sciences, and one from the Arts & Humanities. Those who will be selected to present their research in a special, highlighted session.⁠
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General registration for poster presentations and flash talks will also close March 27 for Duke Undergraduates. Otherwise, members of the Duke community at large are warmly invited to attend the symposium and engage with outstanding undergraduate scholarship across disciplines. ⁠
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This annual event is presented in partnership with Muser and Duke University Libraries
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👉 Learn more & register: undergraduateresearch.duke.edu/Symposium or click the link in our bio⁠
🤔 Questions: [email protected]

Don’t miss these upcoming deadlines! Several important opportunities are closing soon! 📢 Details below 👇

🦉 Duke Undergraduate Research Symposium: ://undergraduateresearch.duke.edu/Symposium
🗓️ Thursday, April 16 | 2–6 PM | The Edge (Bostock Library)

-Distinguished Thesis Talk Deadline: March 18
- General Registration: Open now! Closes March 27 at midnight OR once capacity is full!

🛣️ TRInity PATHways to Research (TRI-PATH): https://undergraduateresearch.duke.edu/TRI-Path
- Student Application Due: March 16 at 11:15 PM (very soon!)
- Letter of Recommendation Due: March 18 at 11:59 PM

☀️ Trinity Summer Undergraduate Mentored Research Fellowship (T-SUMR): https://undergraduateresearch.duke.edu/T-SUMR

Priority Deadline:
- Student Application: March 6 (closed)
- Faculty Letter of Support: March 10

Later Review Deadline:
- Student Application + Faculty Letters: April 1 at 11:59 PM

The Trinity College of Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Research Support Office will offer a new research program in Summer 2026: TRInity PATHways to Research (TRI-PATH). This program is designed to introduce students to the practice of research while building foundational skills, confidence, and a sense of scholarly community. The program includes three integrated components: a for-credit summer course, a mentored research experience, and cohort-based community-building activities.

This opportunity is for rising sophomores in natural & quantitative sciences and quantitative social science disciplines who plan to be enrolled at Duke in the following academic year. Admission will be through a competitive application process, with a limited cohort of approximately 20 fellows selected. Students must be accepted into the program to participate in any of its components.

✏️ Application Timeline:
Student Application Due Date: March 16 at 11:15 pm
Letter of Recommendation Due Date: March 18 at 11:59 pm

To learn more and apply, visit https://undergraduateresearch.duke.edu/TRI-Path

All URS Award applications for Assistantships, Independent Study, and Conference funding are closed. Unfortunately, we are not able to reopen Assistantship Applications at this time. Thank you to everyone who applied. We received another overwhelming response this semester alone. We're thrilled by the growing interest in undergraduate research at Duke.

Announcements will be shared via our social media channels and ListServ for summer award updates. In the meantime, we're working hard to process applications as fast as possible. Thank you for your patience and enthusiasm for research.

Applications for the Spring 2026 URS conference awards are closed. If you’ve already applied, sit tight, we’re reviewing your application.

As a friendly reminder, we need your mentor’s endorsement to approve your application. If you haven’t received an automatic confirmation email that your mentor has completed that, we recommend checking in with them and reminding them to complete that component.

We’re pausing URS Assistantship applications temporarily. 📢 Due to an overwhelming response, we need time to review submissions and calculate requested award amounts. We’ll share an update via social media and email once we determine if applications can reopen. Thank you for your patience and understanding! 💙

Applications are still currently open for Independent Study Awards and Conference Awards. ✅

Do you have questions about undergraduate research at Duke? Drop by our new office space - Project Room 8 in The Edge of Bostock Library! We will have office hours on Mondays from 12 pm - 2 pm and Thursdays from 9 am - 11 am starting Thursday, January 8th!

We will have coffee and cookies for our first office hours in our new space, so stop by to say hello 👋

Applications for Spring 2026 Assistantships, Conference, and Independent Study Awards are LIVE. There is no set deadline to apply. We keep our awards open until funding runs out. When we hit our allotted budget for the semester, we close the applications. Awards are granted on a first-come, first-served basis due to high demand, so don’t hesitate to get your application in ASAP if you intend to apply. ⁠

👉 To apply or learn more, visit https://undergraduateresearch.duke.edu/urs-funding-opportunities
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Our website has a wealth of information about our awards, and we recommend that you read those pages before completing any application!

Call for Applications: ACC Meeting of the Minds - April 2026 📢

The Undergraduate Research Support Office is currently accepting internal applications for Duke undergraduate students to attend the 2026 ACC Meeting of the Minds Conference and present their research in the form of oral presentations, poster presentations, or performances.

This conference brings together undergraduates from the 18 Atlantic Coast Conference Schools to celebrate research and inquiry across disciplines. This year’s conference will be hosted by the Florida State University and will take place April 10-12, 2026, in Tallahassee, Florida. For more information, see the conference host website.

🗓️ Application Timeline:
- January 16, 2026: The application, abstract submission, and mentor support must be submitted.
- January 21, 2026: Students will be notified of acceptance or waitlist status.
- January 26, 2026: Students must notify the URS Office if they accept or pass on the offer. If needed, we’ll move on to the waitlist.

✅ Application Eligibility:
This application is open to all Duke undergraduates

👉 Learn more and apply here: https://undergraduateresearch.duke.edu/news/call-applications-acc-meeting-minds-april-2026

We just launched a new application for Oak Ridge National Laboratory Internships! Learn more here 👇

🌿 Summer 2026 Oak Ridge National Lab Internships – Priority Call for Duke Undergrads

Due Dates:
- Student Applications are due January 9, 2026
- Mentor Letters of Recommendation are due January 12, 2026

Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL) hosts summer undergraduate research opportunities that address ORNL’s scientific mission: materials, neutron sciences, energy, high-performance computing, systems biology, and national security. This program encourages undergraduate students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers by providing research experiences at ORNL, the largest Department of Energy science and energy lab. The program lasts 10-12 weeks, beginning around June 1.
ORNL provides a stipend of $650-750/week, plus $250/week for housing, with a travel allowance of $500-1000.

Duke is a core partner with ORNL, and we are doing an internal call for both Trinity and Pratt Duke undergraduate students to apply to be nominated for ORNL's consideration for a priority mentor match and placement this summer with one of 92 mentors who are interested in hosting a Duke student. Students chosen to be nominated through our internal application process will be highly likely to receive a placement, as matches will be made prior to the matches through their regular application process.

Applying to be nominated by Duke does not preclude you from applying to ORNL in the same fashion as students from all over the world. You are welcome to learn more about the ordinary internship application processes at education.ornl.gov. As part of the internal application process, you should review the list of 92 mentors from ORNL and be ready to rank the top 3 mentors you would be interested in working with.

👉 For more, visit https://undergraduateresearch.duke.edu/news/ORNL-Internal-Applications

Next week! Ready to explore STEM opportunities beyond Duke? 🤔 Join us next Wednesday, November 19, 2025, in the Holsti-Anderson room, where Dr. Harrell, Director of the URS Office, will provide insights on identifying and applying programs. For more, visit undergraduateresearch.duke.edu/events ☀️

Keshav Jha shares his experience presenting his research at the AAPM meeting in Washington, D.C. Full conference story live now on the URS website!

https://undergraduateresearch.duke.edu/news/urs-conference-stories-keshav-jha