Undergraduate Research

Research allows you to pursue your interests, to learn something new, to hone your problem-solving skills and to challenge yourself in new ways. Working on a faculty-initiated research project gives you the opportunity work closely with a mentor–a faculty member or other experienced researcher. With a self-initiated research project, you leave Berkeley with a product that represents the distillation of your interests and studies and, possibly, a real contribution to knowledge.

Participate in Summer Research

Investigate

  • Decide what research areas interest you. Read through our EECS Research page to see the full listing of areas, labs, centers, and projects in the Department. View EECS Research Projects to see past and current research projects.
  • Take note of what classes you enjoy more than others. This may help you decide where you would like to do research. Most students begin research after completing an upper division series.
  • Browse research postings on Beehive. Familiarize yourself with the types of positions and criteria for an offer.

Become an Apprentice

The Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP) creates opportunities at the start of each semester for Berkeley undergraduates to work with faculty members on ground-breaking research projects.

Attend

  • Weekly EECS colloquia showcase research presentations during the academic year. These informal seminars may highlight faculty projects, and often, the faculty who are presenting are those looking for new students to assist with research.
  • Connect with graduate students by attending research meetings (check with a faculty member first) and poster sessions. Not only can you discover more about research projects you might like to pursue, but you can get advice on how to get involved with and contribute to a research project.
  • Attend EECS undergraduate research poster sessions to see firsthand the research projects your peers are working on or to share your own research with the engineering community. Not only can you discover more about research projects you might like to pursue, but you can really learn the value of presenting the results of your research.

Approach

You should make appointments with faculty whose work you are interested in, or stop by during their posted office hours. Bring your updated resume, summarizing your academic career to date. You can also bring a Cal Central transcript. Explain your familiarity with the research and show enthusiasm. If at first the answer is no, try again. Many faculty are unable to accept new undergraduates in their group during a certain semester, but they may be able to the following semester. You might anticipate needing to ask twice before you receive a positive response.

Get Course Credit

You can take a Supervised Independent Study class (EE 199 or CS 199) to pursue your research interests.  Enrollment requires the approval of a faculty supervisor as well as your major advisor.

Apply to enroll in 199

Nico Deshler talking to EECS Professor James Demmel about his sensor arrays project at the 2018 SUPERB/URISE REU poster session

Summer Undergraduate Program in Engineering Research at Berkeley

We invite a diverse group of undergraduates to spend 9 weeks on campus conducting research with supervision by EECS faculty and grad students. 9 former SUPERB students have earned Ph.D. degrees. SUPERB is supported by the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program.

Learn More About SUPERB

Student Research at Berkeley

Studying with top-tier faculty is just the beginning. Check out the wide range of student research opportunities available on campus.

Find Research Opportunities
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Christos Papadimitriou speaks on "How does the brain create language?" on 05/10/23

EECS Joint Colloquium

The weekly EECS Colloquium offers our faculty a chance to invite speakers offering a wide range of experiences covering topics in both Electrical Engineering and Computer Science to engage with the department.

View Lectures