Department of Chemistry

Research Opportunities for Undergraduates

One of the most valuable aspects of an undergraduate chemistry education at Brandeis University is the opportunity for a student to carry out cutting-edge research in a professor’s laboratory.  As a small research university, we offer undergraduates access to the forefront research typical of a large research university with the close interactions with faculty usually available only at a smaller liberal arts college.

Students often start out as lab assistants in their first and second year and then move on to individual research projects mentored by faculty, postdocs and graduate students that often become senior honors theses. Since 2003, Brandeis undergraduates have co-authored almost 260 peer-reviewed research publications in scientific journals.

Chemistry majors interested in joining a lab should read faculty research pages to find projects that interest them and then contact the professor by email or in person.  The undergraduate advising head and the UDRs are useful resources if you are trying to find the right lab to join.

Summer is a great time to get research done, with students free from the distractions of coursework. Financial support is available from a wide variety of summer undergraduate research fellowships.

The research accomplishments of Brandeis University chemistry majors Noam Saper '15, Yujie Jiang '17, Natsuko Yamagata '17, Richard Haburcak '18, and Noah Somberg '20 are featured elsewhere.