Finding a Mentor for Undergraduate Research

Mentorship in Physics

Professor Aubin and his mentee William Charles (Class of 2018)

We offer the following suggestions for finding a mentor at FCRH.

  • Visit the associate chair of the department in which you are interested in doing research—they can often make great faculty referrals.
  • Talk to one of your professors after class about either their or their colleagues’ research. Students strongly encourage this!
  • Review department webpages; many of these describe faculty research interests. Our faculty loves talking about their research, so they will welcome you inquiring!
  • Note that only tenured or tenure-track faculty members can mentor undergraduate students, so keep that in mind as you discuss projects with faculty.

Over 100 faculty members mentored students in undergraduate research last year alone.

"On the occasions that I met with Dr. Mundy to discuss a paper or class, I would admire the beautiful and colorful Tenango embroideries that adorn her walls. Seeing her passion and knowing her extensive experience conducting research in a foreign country, I immediately sought her out when it came time for me to find a mentor for my own research project in rural Guatemala."

- Rosalyn Kutsch (Class of 2019)