Undergraduate Research
Undergraduate research in engineering is defined as mentored investigations conducted by undergraduate students that seek to expand the boundaries of knowledge and contribute to the engineering community.
Why get involved in undergraduate research?
Research can enhance the undergraduate experience by allowing students to take the skills and knowledge learned in the classroom and apply them to real situations.
It affords students the opportunity to interact closely with faculty and, in many instances, to develop valuable industry connections. When involved in research, students will also find themselves working with peers who share their passion for learning.
Learning more about undergraduate research at Cornell:
Please review the following pages for advice tailored for undergraduate students enrolled in the Cornell Engineering. To learn more about ongoing research topics in the Cornell Engineering, visit ForagerOne and explore the wide range of research topics studied by our students as well as department and faculty web sites.
ForagerOne is a website that connects undergraduates to research mentors, including faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and research staff. You can search mentor profiles, find open projects, and contact mentors using a guided application process. Review more details about getting started as a student or faculty mentor the university's webpages here.
I am a Cornell student researcher
I love to explore engineering approaches to the study of the natural world, understand the impact of research, and improve human health.
My advice to other engineering students interested in research: commit to becoming an expert in what research interests you.
- Rocky An '23, biological engineering, undergraduate researcher in Clark Lab
I am a Cornell student researcher
The one thing I love about research is the collaboration aspect. Throughout my summer research experience, I had the opportunity to connect and collaborate with a diverse array of individuals.
My advice to other engineering students interested in research: Don't be afraid to reach out to professors whose work you are interested in and to other peers who might have done research. Look at research that might not be directly related to your major, I had a couple friends who really enjoyed applying their engineering skills to different projects.
- Azeezah Ladoja '25, civil engineering, undergraduate researcher in Nair's Research Group
Additional Resources
In addition to the resources provided here, we encourage you to check out an overview of undergraduate research at Cornell and guidance on getting started through the University's central Office of Undergraduate Research.
If you are an enrolled student, be sure to visit the Research Module within the Career Development Toolkit as well. To access the Toolkit, you can self-enroll. If you are already enrolled and want to dive in, jump to the course. In canvas you can also go to Courses > All Courses > Browse More Courses to search for the Toolkit.