Research Opportunities
Research Awards
The Department of Physics offers support to undergraduate research with:
- Natural Science and Engineering Research Council: Undergraduate Student Research Awards (NSERC USRA)
- For Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents of Canada.
- Government of Canada award.
- Summer Undergraduate Physics Research Experience (SUPRE) Awards
- For either domestic OR international students.
- Department of Physics award (contingent on funding availability).
Applications for the summer 2026 term are now open. The unified deadline to apply is Monday, February 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM MST. The list of explicitly advertised research projects for Summer 2026 for either USRA/SUPRE awards is available here.
Important Note: As of 2026, the NSERC USRA application process is no longer handled by departments. The UofA is implementing a unified application process and deadline for Tri-Agency USRAs via the URI office. USRA applicants are hereby directed here. USRA applications by internal students forwarded to the department by the new process will automatically be considered for SUPRE awards.
For details as to how to apply directly to the departmental SUPRE awards for international students, visit this webpage. Please note the important changes to the submission process.
Contacting Researchers
If you are an undergraduate student who is interested in gaining some research experience (either during the academic terms or during summer), you are encouraged to contact our Department professors directly. Professors are listed by field of study in the Research section.
Undergraduate Research Papers
Undergraduate students have opportunities to contribute to research papers. For a list of recent papers co-authored by Physics undergraduate students, visit the Undergraduate Research Papers page.