Research Opportunities for BU Undergraduates

Faculty affiliated with the BU Photonics Center provide numerous opportunities for BU undergraduates to participate in research. Photonics is an interdisciplinary field, drawing from physics, engineering, biology, chemistry, and materials science – with applications extending into medicine, environmental science, computing, communications, and more. This makes it an ideal research area for students from diverse scientific backgrounds interested in applying their skills to real-world engineering challenges.

Whether you’re just beginning to explore research or preparing for graduate study or a career in industry, the Photonics Center is a rich environment to grow your skills and contribute to meaningful discoveries. Undergraduates are encouraged to visit faculty websites for information about current lab openings.

The benefits of undergraduate research include:

  • Exploring and refining your academic and career interests
  • Building skills you will use in future jobs and graduate programs
  • Creating new knowledge through analyses and discoveries
  • Building connections with faculty and students
  • Potential for UROP Funding, Potential for Work Study Funding, Potential for Academic Credit

Steps to joining a research lab:

  • Identify the research areas that are of interest to you.
  • Browse the list of BU Photonics Center faculty and look for labs that conduct research in your area of interest.
  • Talk with your instructors, faculty advisors, graduate and undergraduate LAs/TFs, and other students who are doing research.
  • Check the UROP website for information on labs that are actively advertising to recruit undergraduate researchers.
  • Students with federal work study awards should let faculty know when they apply for research positions. Some faculty will be able to pay students for research if their hourly wage is subsidized.
  • Many undergraduate majors at BU, including Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Neuroscience, and Biochemistry, offer research for credit. Students can often earn credit through specific course numbers or directed study options, and many departments also encourage or require research as part of a thesis for honors students. If you’re interested in doing research for credit, review the requirements for your department, then apply for the appropriate course prior to the deadline.