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Undergraduate Research

students working in a research lab

Get Involved

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at The University of Alabama emphasizes a hands-on approach to undergraduate instruction. As part of this effort, the department strongly promotes undergraduate research. The chemistry department faculty are involved in research projects in all of the major areas of chemistry: organic, inorganic, physical, analytical, and biochemistry. In addition, many faculty research interests involve interdisciplinary projects such as materials science, biomolecular products, and green chemistry. To see what types of research are currently going on in the department, check out the faculty pages.

Students interested in beginning a research project with a faculty member should contact him or her directly. For general questions about how to get involved in undergraduate research, contact Dr. Kevin Shaughnessy, director of undergraduate studies.

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) also has a number of resources for students interested in starting undergraduate research.

Win Awards

Students performing chemistry research have won numerous undergraduate research awards on campus and have won several national awards including Barry M. Goldwater Fellowships and places on the USA Today All-Academic Team. Our undergraduate research program is open to students in all areas of the natural sciences and engineering, not just chemistry students.

Present and Publish Your Research

You can present your research on campus at the annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity conference (URCA). This annual conference provides opportunities for students to give oral or poster presentations on their research. Prizes are awarded to the top presentations.

Undergraduate research students have presented the results of their research at national meetings of American Chemical Society and the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology, at regional meetings of various professional societies, and at meetings of a variety of specialized societies and associations. In recent years, these presentations have resulted in students traveling to a variety of locations including Anaheim, San Diego, New Orleans, England and Europe.

The Office of Undergraduate research provides funding to help support undergraduate students presenting research at a professional conference. Information and application form

Undergraduate research students who are successful in their research programs may have the opportunity to be co-authors on papers published in chemistry journals by their mentoring faculty member.

Funding for Undergraduate Research

The College of Arts & Sciences provides funding to support undergraduate research projects in the college.  Students involved in undergraduate research can work with their faculty mentor to submit an application.