Find a Mentor
Finding and reaching out to a mentor is often a daunting task for students, but the Office of Undergraduate Research is here to help. Read through the four main strategies below to find the right mentor(s) for either your mentor-directed or self-directed research. Then check out our resources for communicating with potential mentors to discuss possible research options.
No Prior Research Experience Needed
Posted Positions
A great first stop for mentor-directed research is to make sure you are receiving departmental e-mails (to catch any positions announced this way). Additionally, the Office of Undergraduate Research shares open positions in our newsletters and posts them in the Career Development Center’s secure ePACK system.
Although not controlled or monitored by the Office of Undergraduate Research, the following systems post undergraduate research opportunities: the College of Sciences’ CURiOuS and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s Undergraduate Researcher.
Note: Beware of scams! Always make sure emails offering an opportunity are really from an @ncsu.edu address. Even still, note that at no point should a potential mentor ask for your personal information or for you to purchase things such as gift cards. A potential mentor will not negotiate your work via text message either.
Trouble Finding Undergraduate Research Postings?
With the following strategies, the idea is to find potential mentors whose work is interesting/exciting to you (for mentor-directed opportunities) or mentors whose work, skills, and expertise can help with your research in some way (for self-directed research).
As you find potential mentors, start making a list with their contact information and notes on why you are interested/need their help.
Departmental Websites
Every department on campus has its own website that showcases its faculty and their work. Each site is formatted differently, but that information is always there. Some faculty information may be a quick read, some lengthier with publications listed, and others will link to the faculty member’s research group webpage.
Take a look at the department(s) mostly closely related to your area of interest or need, and then start adding potential mentors to your list. Note that students are not required to stay in their major or even college. Have fun with it!
Don’t worry if a faculty bio or page doesn’t show recent publications. That faculty member is still publishing in the given area of research—the page just hasn’t been updated. If you would like to learn how to find faculty publications, the Office of Undergraduate Research is happy to show you!
Abstract Books
Three times a year, the Office of Undergraduate Reseach hosts symposia where students from across the campus, and at any stage in their research, are invited to present their work. For these events, we collect short summaries of each project and compile them into digital abstract books.
Generate a list of keywords related to your interests/needs, and make sure to consider alternative descriptions. Then, search for these keywords in the past several years’ worth of abstract books hosted on our website. You’ll find summaries/abstracts of interest to you and can then note, three key pieces of information.
1) who the mentor is no matter their location on campus. Remember you don’t have to stay in your major for research, and because of the growing interdisciplinarity of research you may find something of interest in a department or college you didn’t originally consider.
2) that this mentor is definitely open to mentoring undergraduates. They may not have any current openings, but they are actively open to mentoring. Eventually, they may need someone to take over for a graduating student (many of the symposia presenters are juniors and seniors). Also, those students can share their experience with you, helping you decide if the mentor is a good fit and giving you tips on how to approach them.
3) the overall area of research that mentor is engaged in. While mentors and their research groups will have multiple projects, these projects will not be too far away from each other.
Research Collaborations
Many researchers, in addition to their own work focus, will work as part of a larger collaboration with other researchers and groups both on and off campus. These large groups will organize as a formal Center or Institute around their key research objectives.
Investigate the different formal research collaborations linked below to determine which have research foci of interest to you or that are related to your needs. From there, you can explore the sites further to determine who are the researchers involved in those projects and which you would like to contact.
Ready with your list?
Start reaching out to potential mentors using the templates provided below. The Office of Undergraduate Research can also review your drafts and give you feedback before you send them. You can e-mail them to undergraduate-research@ncsu.edu or meet in person.
Template E-mail for Mentor-Directed Project
Tenshi Goins shares a sample message, broken into parts, with explanations of their purpose and extra tips so you can draft a successful message in your own voice.
Research Inquiry Letter
Template Resume (starting research)
Tenshi Goins shares a sample resume for students seeking a mentor-directed research experience. Students should also visit the Career Development Center for resume/CV support.
Starter Research Resume
Template E-mail for Self-Directed Project
Tenshi Goins shares a sample message, broken into parts, with explanations of their purpose and extra tips so you can draft a successful message in your own voice.
Research Support Letter