Research

In addition to research experiences obtained in the classroom, all undergraduates are required to complete independent work in their chosen field. Students are encouraged to discuss their research interests with faculty advisers; deans, directors of studies and peer advisers in the residential colleges; and departmental representatives. 

Several established summer programs provide Princeton students, as well as students from other colleges and universities, with the opportunity to obtain more hands-on research experience in specific fields. These include:

• The Research Experiences for Undergraduates program sponsored by the Princeton Center for Complex Materials and the Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials, which is principally focused on providing students with the opportunity to carry out research at the forefront of materials science and engineering. 

• The Research Experiences for Undergraduates program sponsored by the Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environment (MIRTHE) Center, which is focused on providing students with an opportunity to carry out research at the forefront of mid-IR spectroscopy and engineering.

• The Summer Undergraduate Research Program in Molecular and Quantitative & Computational Biology is a program jointly offered by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Princeton’s Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton’s Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, the Genentech Foundation and the New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research to provide intensive laboratory research experiences to a select group of undergraduates chosen from a nationwide pool.

• The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory National Undergraduate Fellowship Program in Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy Sciences and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship program. Both of these programs, which provide opportunities for students to conduct research in plasma science and fusion energy, are offered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, which is managed by the University.

In support of Princeton University’s education and research mission, the University has a limited number of opportunities for high school students to participate in supervised educational research experiences with Princeton faculty.  Individual high school students, with the support of their schools, can participate in the Laboratory Learning program, a supervised educational program for high school students to conduct research in Princeton laboratories.  

This selective program is designed to offer students an opportunity to participate actively in state-of-the-art research projects, under the mentorship and supervision of a Princeton faculty member. Students selected for the program will be integrated into the daily research experience of the laboratory, participating in meetings, seminars, research discussions and other appropriate educational activities.  Students interested in science competitions, such as the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, should discuss their interest with potential faculty mentors; the Laboratory Learning program may or may not lead to a competitive research project.

• Research opportunities are awarded on a competitive basis
• Students must be US citizens or Permanent Resident Aliens (PRAs)
• Students must be 16 years of age or older
• Students who are historically underrepresented in the sciences and engineering (i.e., African-American, Hispanic, Native Pacific Islander or Native American, and women) are especially encouraged to apply
• Students must have reliable transportation to and from the laboratory; housing is not provided through this program  
• Parental consent for participation must be provided
• High school approval for participation must be provided

• Parent Consent Statement and Insurance Documentation (.pdf) form (to be completed by the faculty mentor and the student's parent/guardian);
• High School Sponsorship (.pdf) form (to be completed by the faculty mentor and high school official); and
• Research Proposal (.pdf) (to be completed faculty mentor, the student, and his/her parent/guardian).