Duke University undergraduates seeking paid energy research opportunities on campus may apply for funding through the Office of Undergraduate Research Support (URS), thanks to a partnership with the Duke University Energy Initiative. Through the Promoting Opportunities With Energy Research (POWER Program), a limited number of students may receive up to $400 per semester to work with a faculty member on their energy research.
URS Assistantships can only be awarded if the research project is completely separate from a course or course credit. They are open to both Trinity and Pratt students. Eight assistantships are funded each school year.
Spring 2021 applications opened on January 20 and will remain open until funds are exhausted.
How students can apply: Applicants are responsible for finding and securing research opportunities. You can check MUSER for advertised positions. You may also approach faculty directly—our list of energy faculty and URS’ “Tips for Contacting Mentors” are handy resources if you go that route. If you're having trouble finding a match, contact the Energy Initiative's Bryan Koen (bryan.koen@duke.edu) for further assistance. Once you’ve made a viable connection with a faculty member, you should complete the URS assistantship application. Your faculty advisor will need to send an email to URS confirming their intent to hire you and that the project is energy-related, so make sure you plan ahead!
How faculty can get involved: You can advertise an available position in MUSER. Alternatively, you can directly recruit a student for your project and encourage him or her to apply for funding. If you need assistance in identifying a student, contact Bryan Koen (bryan.koen@duke.edu) at the Energy Initiative for next steps.
More questions? Contact URS.
Read a success story: Find out how POWER supported Xiaochen Du (T'21) to make meaningful contributions to a new energy materials project at Duke—and how his work helped position the project to score a $100K follow-on grant from the National Science Foundation!