Undergraduate Research

Explore the world, discover new possibilities

Anya Sen, who graduated from the University of Delaware in May 2023, spoke at UD's 2023 Plastino Scholars Dinner last May.
Anya Sen, who graduated in May 2023 with dual degrees in international relations and economics, applied to the Plastino Scholars Program to study refugee and migration issues of local immigrants in France.

Extend your learning with undergraduate research

The Student Success Center connects University of Delaware undergraduate students with research opportunities, helping them to grow professionally and prepare for graduate school. Undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences are encouraged to explore funding and professional development opportunities on and off campus, such as the David A. Plastino Scholars Program with the College of Arts & Sciences and the University-wide Undergraduate Research Program. 

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

The College of Arts and Sciences funds approximately 12 Summer Scholars each year. Selected undergraduates, generally sophomores and juniors, conduct in-depth research or creative work with University faculty. Students in the Summer Scholars Program work on their projects full-time for ten weeks in the summer. Research and creative work is generally completed under the close supervision of a faculty member. Each scholar receives a stipend of $4,000. To apply, visit the Undergraduate Research Progr​am's Summer Programs page.​ The Summer Scholars program is made possible with generous funding from donors such as Tom Hofmann, a UD alumnus who established the Ethel & Donald Hofmann Scholar Award. This award encourages applications from historically underrepresented and first-generation students.​
The CAS Student Success Center’s co-curricular coaching team has partnered with the Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC) to offer University of Delaware undergraduate students the opportunity to participate in an 11-week paid, full-time summer research immersion program. Empower Fellows gain hands-on, mentored experience in a research lab at FCCC. They develop an appreciation for the relationship between basic and applied research, as well as how research directly impacts the cancer patient during and after treatment. Housing for Fox Chase Fellows is provided, in addition to a $4,500 stipend. Interested students are invited to learn more about this program by participating in a one-day visit to FCCC, which will include a meeting with graduate students and post-docs over lunch to discuss careers. Visit the FCCC website (linked above) for information about the next summer program, including application details and information sessions.​
As Philadelphia region members of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), UD students are invited to apply for the NSF/LSAMP Summer Research Program at the University of Pennsylvania. This 10-week summer experience is designed to provide an opportunity for students to perform cutting-edge research in the STEM fields.
The Plastino Scholars Program was established in 2007 by a gift from UD alumnus David A. Plastino to help outstanding University of Delaware undergraduate students realize their dreams by supporting them in self-designed, off-campus learning experiences that create a difference in their lives and in the lives of others.
Research News
  • An image triptych featuring the Davila and the Nuñez D. Armesto families Executory Certificates of Nobility, and an Adobe stock image of cassette tapes sitting on a stack of research papers.

    Behind the research

    September 27, 2024 | Written by Nicole Hernandez
    The 2024 Seth Trotter Special Collections Research Award, is an annual award sponsored by the Friends of the University of Delaware Library that encourages UD students and faculty to use rare materials from the Library, Museums and Press Special Collections in their original research.
  • Creating new chemistry tools

    August 30, 2024 | Written by Hilary Douwes
    Donald Watson’s lab develops catalysts for reactions in organic chemistry. These catalysts are the molecular “tools” that take simple molecules and bring them together to create more complex molecules that chemists use in a wide variety of applications.
  • Report: As African Apparel Imports Dwindle, the Time for AGOA Renewal is Now

    June 11, 2024 | Written by Kate Nishimura of Yahoo! Finance
    Sheng Lu, professor of fashion and apparel studies, said Africa’s opportunity for growth into a leading apparel sourcing hub hinges on the swift and long-term renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act.