Has a professor sparked your interest in a topic during a course? Is there a project or an area of research that you have been excited to explore? Wondering where to start?
The key to getting started in research is finding a subject you are passionate about and making connections with faculty who share that interest.
- Get to know professors, teaching assistants, and upperclassmen in your classes or in any department and find out what kind of research they are doing.
- Take advantage of what's going on around you. The university is full of lectures and colloquia every week. You never know what topic might spark your interest!
If you are looking for an existing research opportunity, thinking about designing a research project of your own, or just wondering whether or not research is for you, the Office of Undergraduate Research is a good place to start.
WashU community members can also view this faculty panel on getting started in research (institutional Box login required) from the Fall 2023 Undergraduate Research Symposium. WashU faculty mentors of undergraduate research from diverse academic disciplines share their perspectives on how undergraduates can explore and enter into research in their fields.
