Internal Research Opportunities and Funding

Are you interested in conducting research but don't know where to start? The best way to get involved with the research going on at Tufts is to speak with a professor directly. Review the following resources, particularly the faculty profiles, to find someone who is doing research on a topic of interest. Once you find someone, reach out to them! Send them an email, set up an appointment, or visit them during office hours. Also, be sure to look at the various research programs available during the summer.

Faculty Profiles

Profiles of faculty members are available online. If you see a faculty member conducting research you are interested in, contact them to see if they have available research opportunities.

Handshake

As a Tufts student, you can use Handshake, a recruiting platform, to connect with employers for jobs, internships and career events. You can search hundreds of opportunities and upload your resume for employers to view. 

On-Campus Research Opportunities and Funding

Below are some of the funded research opportunities and prizes available at Tufts. Please be sure to also check out external research resources as well. Do not hesitate to set up a meeting with Dr. Anne Moore if you have questions about the opportunities below.

Anne E. Borghesani Memorial Prize

This prize is awarded to second semester sophomores or juniors who undertake a research project, internship, volunteer activity, or plan of study in any field involving international issues. It encourages personal growth and independence, while increasing understanding of all people and encouraging commitment to the world community. 

Beckman Scholars

The Tufts University Beckman Scholars Program offers provides stipends for two summers of full-time research and one academic year of part-time research in biochemistry.  Funds for research supplies and travel are also provided. Students must apply with participating faculty. Students conduct independent research that culminates in a first-author publication by the end of the project period.

Building Diversity in Biomedical Sciences for Undergraduates

The Building Diversity in Biomedical Sciences (BDBS) Program provides a mentored, 10-week research intensive experience for 16 to 20 undergraduates who are interested in pursuing PhD or MD/PhD training upon completion of the baccalaureate degree.  Biomedical science is a rapidly evolving and engaging field that holds tremendous promise for discoveries that will change the lives of all people by improving detection and treatment of disease. 

The Carpenter Fund for Teaching and Research in Biology

Named for Russell L. Carpenter, distinguished Tufts alumnus and Professor of Zoology. The Carpenter Award is an opportunity for two undergraduate researchers to carry out research with faculty members in Biology

Gill Fellows

Named in honor of Tufts Professor Gerald R. Gill (1948-2007), the Gill Fellowship supports engaged scholarship on questions of race and democracy, broadly defined. Projects may emerge from a variety of disciplines and interdisciplinary programs, and may support undergraduate and graduate research. The Gerald Gill Fellows serve as ambassadors of engaged scholarship and active citizenship on campus. We seek fellows whose engaged scholarship, citizenship, and participation will inspire their peers to think critically about race and democracy, within and beyond the Tufts campus.

IR Research Scholars Prize

The IR Research Scholars Prize supports original, high-quality undergraduate international research. The award consists of financial support and faculty mentorship for intensive summer research work. This competitive program is aimed at IR majors (sophomore standing and above) who anticipate producing an upper-level research paper in their senior year.  

Laidlaw Scholars Program

The Laidlaw Scholars Program is a two-year independent research program that supports students to pursue independent research projects with a faculty member over the course of two consecutive summers for six weeks per summer. Laidlaw Scholars also participate in leadership development training and become part of a broader community of scholars at Durham University, the University of Oxford, the University of St. Andrews, the University of York, the University of Leeds, and the University College London. Students can apply in their first or second year, and can apply either individually or as part of a team working on a common research question.  

Lily Glidden Award

This award, managed by the Biology Department, provides up to $2500 in funding to support a student to pursue an opportunity in the U.S. or abroad to explore and learn about the interconnected life on our planet. Preference will be given to those who appear to be stepping out of their comfort zone with an experience unlike what they may have previously pursued.  

Robert R. Dewald Undergraduate Summer Scholarship Award

The Dewald Scholarship funds Chemistry and Biochemistry majors to pursue a summer research project in a laboratory setting with a Chemistry faculty member.

Shapiro Award

The Shapiro Award permits students working in the field of American Studies to seek opportunities for personal and academic growth that would not be available to them without the support of the award. Awards are often used for exploratory work that will form the basis of the student's senior special project or honors thesis, but this is not required. 

Summer Scholars

Summer Scholars is a ten-week program in which undergraduates work closely with faculty from any of the Tufts campuses on an independent research project of their own design. 

Tisch Summer Fellows

Undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students from across the university are invited to apply for the Tisch Summer Fellows (TSF). This program is designed to support the professional and career development of participants while enhancing the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed to build robust and inclusive democracy. Since 2004, community-based advocacy organizations, national non-profits, government agencies, and elected officials have hosted fellows to support dynamic, mission-driven projects to advance the public good.

Tufts New Ventures Competition

Since 2004, Tufts Gordon Institute’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program has sponsored this annual business plan competition that awards cash and in-kind services (legal and advisory services) to the winning teams. If you have a great business or social venture idea we want to hear from you!

VERSE (Visiting and Early Research Scholars' Experiences Program)

The VERSE Program creates a cohort of undergraduate students who have not yet had research opportunities and allows them to participate in a 10-week summer research immersion experience. VERSE students are paired with a faculty mentor, designated postdoctoral associate, or advanced graduate student during the program; develop valuable research skills, participate in team meetings and engage in research projects designed for them; and participate in professional development, leadership, and social events throughout the summer. Students receive a scholarship that provides a summer stipend, meal plan, and on-campus summer housing.

Undergraduate Research Fund

Using the Undergraduate Research Fund, Students may request funding for senior theses and for other proposals emphasizing original research that is directly supervised by a Tufts faculty member. Funding may also be used for travel to a conference if you are presenting research. 

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

URSS is an annual Tufts tradition that celebrates the diverse contributions made by Tufts undergraduates to scholarship and research advances.

100 Projects for Peace

Undergraduates at approximately 90 colleges and universities, including Tufts, are asked to design a "grassroots project for peace" and to submit the application to a local review committee. Each participating university will nominate its first choice, which, subject to confirmation at the national level, will receive full funding. The Tufts selection committee will also forward an alternate proposal that will compete for one of the remaining awards. For more information, click here.