Undergraduate Research

At UVA Engineering, we are dedicated to educating the next generation of engineering leaders. That means we make it a priority to equip our students with both technical knowledge and hands-on research experiences.

Students at UVA conduct research in high-performing labs alongside top-notch graduate students, under the mentorship of faculty members who are leaders in their fields. By the time they graduate from UVA Engineering, 100 percent of our undergraduate students will have completed at least one major research project that demonstrates analysis and judgment.

Their experience will prepare them for global engineering leadership, because UVA is at the leading edge of cross-disciplinary work that creates knowledge and technologies to address some of society's biggest challenges. Students have opportunities to research engineering problems that have a range of implications, from business to medicine to law to public policy.

Darius Carter Image

"Undergraduate research is vital to your experience as a student, especially if you have no idea what you want to do in the future or if you are interested in graduate school. My research experiences have helped me leave my mark in the engineering community and connect the dots between the classes I have taken while here at UVA. All I had to do was send an email to a faculty member, and just like that I was able to start working on groundbreaking technology."

Darius Carter, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Class of 2017, researching how to combat excessive use of fossil fuels through improving aircraft fuel efficiency
  • Undergraduate Research at UVA Engineering

    Students who are interested in undergraduate research experiences at UVA Engineering should visit our research page to learn about the exciting, interdisciplinary work that's underway in areas such as Engineering for Medicine, Engineering for the Cyber Future and Engineering Technologies for a Sustainable and Connected World.

    Also, visit our "Find Faculty" page to read about specific projects, and contact a faculty member if you are interested in getting involved.

    Find Faculty
  • Undergraduate Research Symposium

    Each year in the spring, faculty and undergraduate students come together to celebrate undergraduate research and design. Students get experience presenting their work and competing for research awards.

  • Undergraduate Research Journal

    UVA Engineering students produce their own, peer-reviewed undergraduate research journal, The Spectra.

    The Spectra: The Virginia Engineering and Science Research Journal is committed to the development of research excellence at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Virginia. It publishes prominent undergraduate research with a threefold purpose: to provide publication opportunities for undergraduates catering to the engineering sciences, to promote a community of research, and to serve as an educational tool for prospective students. It aims to publish faculty-evaluated and peer-reviewed papers reflecting a wide range of topics containing the core values of technical credibility, relevancy, and originality. We are currently in the progress of preparing our Spring 2020 11th Edition Journal.

    We are always searching for U.Va. undergraduates to submit their research for publication. Successful papers will portray a variety of criteria such as originality, depth of technical analysis, diversity, intellectual insight, and transformative research. If you are interested in publishing your work in the Spring 2021 Edition, please reach out to spectra@virginia.edu. Please also email us if you are interested in receiving more information about the journal or are interested in being part of the Spectra Editorial Team.

    The Spectra (2018)
  • Research that Leads to Entrepreneurship

    UVA Engineering has a thriving entrepreneurship ecosystem and program that supports it, the Technology Entrepreneurship Program through the Department of Engineering & Society. The goal is to inspire and encourage projects and entrepreneurship that often spring from students' ideas for how to solve everyday problems.

    UVA Engineering's Technology Entrenpreneurship Program
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