Undergraduate Research

Middlebury offers students opportunities for research and creative works across disciplines.
Depending on the field, research may take place in a lab, in a studio, in an archive or out in the field. It may lead to a publication, a film, a performance, an innovative technique, or a new understanding.
Middlebury students collaborate on research with peers and faculty, both at Middlebury and other universities or research institutions. They also have the opportunity to pursue independent projects with a faculty advisor. Researchers share their work at the Spring Student Symposium, professional conferences, and as co-authored, published findings in undergraduate research and professional journals.
Undergraduate Research in the CTLR support includes advising, research resources, information about opportunities, and funding for senior work, academic conference participation, and summer research with Middlebury faculty.
What Middlebury Students Have to Say
“During my time doing field research, I gained invaluable experience in both academic research and archival research methods. In addition to gaining these skills, I also discovered a love of medieval studies and manuscript studies, which I am seriously considering pursuing in some form as post-graduate plans. In terms of my academic experience at Middlebury, being afforded this opportunity has allowed me to delve into nuanced and complex academic topics that I would never have been able to experience without doing this field research.” —Jess Garner ‘19.5
“My research was an excellent capstone to my academic experience at Middlebury, and it also inspired me to pursue art history in a professional context. This experience also opened my eyes to the importance of architecture in the way in which it both shapes and is shaped by a city’s culture, and now this is something I am considering pursuing in graduate school.” —Elaine Velie ‘20
“From start to finish, the research I have conducted on Bi Gan has truly felt like the culmination of all my film studies courses. Every class and every single paper I have written in the film department, particularly those in Professor Keathley and Professor Grindon’s courses, have all built upon one another and given me the critical skills I’ve needed to carry out such thorough and in-depth research.” —Shams Mohajerani ’20
Contact
Undergraduate Research is located in 225 Davis Family Library, in the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Research (CTLR). Email uro@middlebury.edu.
Deadlines
See Undergraduate Research Deadlines CalendarEvents
See Undergraduate Research Events CalendarResearch Opportunities
See UR and Fellowships BlogUpdates
See All CTLR Undergraduate Research Updates-
Maia Sauer '22 on Senior Thesis Funding in Dance Magazine
| by CTLR
Kellogg Fellow Maia Sauer ‘22 was recently quoted in How to Make the Most of Each Phase of Your College Career in Dance Magazine. Talking about professional skills and planning for her senior thesis she said, “I remember being in the thick of it and feeling like, Really? You’re going to make me do a mock budget for my thesis? I felt resistant to it then, but now I realize how helpful that was.” See more info about senior work funding.
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Clinton Cave (Neuroscience) and the Value of Undergraduate Research
| by CTLR
Clinton Cave (Neuroscience) was recently featured in TheScientist where he talks about the value of undergraduate research. “Middlebury’s undergraduate focus…is a real strength because it gives students early access to sophisticated labs, setting them up to succeed in STEM careers. It’s especially important that he help first-generation students, students of color, and women see a path forward, he says. ‘And it’s very rewarding to be able to pay for the mentorship that I’ve received over the years.’” Read more of Clinton Cave Investigates How Brain Cells Communicate.
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Perkins Teaching Award Winner Greg Pask (Biology) Researches Fireflies with Students
| by CTLR
Seven Days recently featured Biology Professor Greg Pask, the 2022 recipient of the Perkins Award for Excellence in Teaching. Student research assistants funded through the CTLR’s Undergraduate Research Summer Program spent the summer researching insect pheromones with Pask. Read the full Seven Days story.
Faculty Resources
Research Information for faculty, including how to hire research assistants during the academic year and summer, can be found in the CTLR’s faculty resources.
Center for Teaching, Learning, and Research
Davis Family Library, Suite 225
Middlebury, VT
05753