Skip to main content Skip to secondary navigation

Student Research Opportunities

Main content start

Undergraduate Student Research Opportunities

Engaging in independent research under the direction of a faculty member can be one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences of your undergraduate career. 

Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

The Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program is designed to give Stanford undergraduates the opportunity to work with faculty and their research groups on advanced research projects. Whether you are well into your major or still testing the waters, all engineering students are strongly encouraged to consider taking advantage of the REU program. The REU program is coordinated jointly by the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (VPUE) and the Office of Student Affairs in the School of Engineering.

Within the REU initiative, the ME Department offers the Stanford Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI).  Members of the Stanford community can go to the ME Student Intranet to learn more about the ME SURI program.

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) is a fully funded, eight-week summer residential program that brings approximately 20 talented, motivated, and bright undergraduate students from across the country to Stanford Engineering for an immersive research and graduate school preparation experience.

Daniel Echeveste
Researched in Professor Wendy Gu's lab, Mechanical Engineering

“ Daniel Echeveste was still a plebe — a first-year cadet at West Point ... ”

Zulekha Karachiwalla
Zulekha Karachiwalla
Researched in Professor Mark Cutkosky's lab, Mechanical Engineering

“ Rising junior Zulekha Karachiwalla was undecided about her major until she took Engineering 101 at ... ”