A student makes an informal presentation with a detailed poster on an easel.
Center for Engaged Liberal Arts

Undergraduate Research

The Annual Undergraduate Research Poster Session held in Oberlin’s Science Center.
Photo credit: Scott Shaw

Experience the thrill of discovery. Join a close-knit community of researchers.

Research opportunities at Oberlin rival those found in graduate schools, as faculty invite students into their ongoing research and support student-directed research projects. Student researchers work closely with faculty mentors at the forefront of their fields to ask new questions, design innovative studies, and collaborate on groundbreaking projects.

Whether in the sciences, social sciences, humanities, or arts, undergraduate research at Oberlin has long served to amplify student learning, advance faculty scholarship, build strong student-faculty relationships, and contribute to the social good.

Interested in getting involved with research at Oberlin or off campus? Not sure where to start? Meet with a student research ambassador or a member of the Undergraduate Research team to make an appointment and jumpstart your research career at Oberlin. 

Meet with a research ambassador: 

Meet with Clea Gunn Thomas, OUR STEM Program Coordinator to discuss STEM research opportunities at Oberlin, Winter Term and Summer research opportunities, as well as our STRONG and BRANCHES STEM communities.

Meet with Emily Spezia-Shwiff, OUR Program Manager to discuiss Humanities and Social Sciences research opportunities, how to get started in research over Winter Term, the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, the Oberlin Summer Research Institute Fellowships, and the Oberlin College Research Symposium.

Meet with Abby Aresty, Interim Director for Inclusive Excellence in STEM Pedagogy and Undergraduate Research to discuss year-round research opportunities at Oberlin and beyond, the Oberlin Summer Research Institute Fellowships, as well as our STRONG and BRANCHES STEM communities.

Location

Center for Engaged Liberal Arts, A-Level

Contact

440-775-6999
440-775-6996
Undergraduate.Research@oberlin.edu

Social Media

Roll up your sleeves. Find lifelong mentors.

From your first day on campus through graduation, Oberlin Undergraduate Research program is here to help you explore, experience, and launch a lifelong research journey. Explore through research-intensive courses, community events, and workshops. Experience immersive, hands-on research guided by faculty mentors during Winter Term, in fellowship programs, or through the Summer Research Institute. Whether you’re focused on STEM, social sciences, humanities, or the arts, Oberlin will help you launch your research career with year-round opportunities designed for every stage.

Explore Experience Launch

Oberlin’s Research Culture

From mounting exhibitions in the Allen Memorial Art Museum to studying neurotoxicology and public health, Oberlin’s students and faculty make our campus a hub of innovative and impactful research. During both academic terms as well as Winter Term and summer, students have the opportunity to join a community of practicing artists, scientists, and scholars.

OUR Featured Researchers

Oberlin students dive into research across fields like degenerative disease, transportation, artificial intelligence, and art, tackling questions that will define their own futures and the future of the world they will inhabit.  These are the stories of the Oberlin Undergraduate Research (OUR) community. 

Meet the cohort of student researchers for 2023-24

Leah Yonemoto-Weston ’24

“Never Again is Now”: Carcerality and Coalitional Activism at Fort Sill, Oklahoma

Leah's project

Leah at the computer

Tanisha Shende ’26

Enhancing Social VR Accessibility for Users With ADHD and Autism

Tanisha's project

Tanisha with VR equipment

Nevaan Bawa ’24

Examining Asian Americans’ Critical Reflection on Race and Racism

Nevaan's project

Nevaan with their research poster

Chudi Martin, Jr. ’24

The Standing History of Afro-Diasporic Traditions in Trinidad & Tobago

Chudi's project

Chudi with steel pans

OUR Fellowships and Community

Research at Oberlin is a collaborative journey. Oberlin Undergraduate Research (OUR) supports students across disciplines with programs and community. OUR opportunities include Science and Technology Research Opportunities for a New Generation, Mellon-Mays, and the Oberlin Summer Research Institute Fellowship. Whether you're joining a lab or visiting an archive, we're here to help you find your research community!

OUR fellowship programs give students the opportunity to conduct research in a supportive and nurturing community that facilitates skill-building, networking, and creativity. Several of these programs are also dedicated to expanding access and opportunities for historically underrepresented groups in research fields.

 

From the Classroom to the World

The Engaged Liberal Arts at Oberlin takes what you’re learning in your courses and puts it into practice through internships, research, study away experiences, winter term, career exploration, and beyond.

Career Development Bonner Center Study Away Fellowships & Awards Winter Term
Aerial view of intersecting paths in a campus quad.

Resource Links

OUR Opportunities

On-Campus Research Events

Resources for Students and Faculty

Next Steps

An Oberlin education puts the liberal arts to work in achieving a life of meaning and purpose.

Student hanging up their research symposium poster
The Oberlin College Research Symposium is a one-day conference featuring the scholarly and artistic production of Oberlin's students.
Photo credit: Amanda Phillips