Research plays an important role in Queen’s mission and over the past year several opportunities have been created to further integrate research into the undergraduate student experience. These initiatives, coupled with hands-on learning and mentorship, are shaping Queen’s University into a hub offering research opportunities for students. 

Queen’s is working to not only introduce research earlier into undergraduate education but to provide students with accelerated opportunities through these first-hand experiences to gain the translatable skills and training needed to pursue high-impact research.

Recently, Queen’s hosted its second annual celebration to honour the accomplishments of participants in summer research programs and to acknowledge the role of supervision from faculty. The event brought together recipients of the Queen’s Undergraduate Student Summer Research Fellowships (USSRF) and the Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA), with a total of 167 students participating. The gathering highlighted the significance of these programs in supporting undergraduate research and fostering collaboration between students and faculty.

“This has been a remarkable year for undergraduate research at Queen’s. It is very rewarding to see the scale and diversity of research that is being done by our undergraduate students and the calibre of mentorship provided by our faculty,” says Nancy Ross, Vice-Principal (Research).

Many summer research projects have been compiled into a special edition of Queen’s Inquiry Journal, in partnership with Queen’s University Library, showcasing their research spanning topics from the impact of wildfires on structures to the isolation of novel antibiotics, and to barriers to healthcare access for Black communities.

“By integrating research in the undergraduate experience, students are applying their curiosity and passion, are developing transferable skills, and are considering the greater good,” says Klodiana Kolomitro, Special Advisor, Undergraduate Research. “We continue to expand on the different ways our students can gain valuable hands-on research experience, participate in professional development programming, and be recognized and celebrated for their research achievements.”

Learn more about Queen’s undergraduate research programming:

Expanding student exposure to research

With more than 1,400 undergraduate courses incorporating research processes and more than 400 research-intensive courses involving capstone projects, Queen’s is ensuring that students have ample opportunities within their programs of study to contribute to meaningful research with faculty or industry partners. For students looking to gain additional research opportunities or continue projects throughout the summer, the USSRF and USRA are two longstanding programs that provide funding and faculty mentorship.

USSRF offers 16 weeks of full-time research experience under the supervision of a faculty member, providing a stipend of $9,800, while students pursue a project of interest to them. Similarly, the USRA, supported by Canada’s federal research granting agencies, provides funding and hands-on research programming for students interested in nurturing research skills under the supervision of a faculty member. Both programs are designed to ignite students’ passion for research early in their education to hone critical skills and explore potential future research careers.

In recognizing the exceptional contributions of undergraduate researchers, Queen’s launched the Vice-Principal Research Undergraduate Prize with an award of $1,000 each. The inaugural recipients were Arianne Ettehadieh and Dominic Everitt for their research presentations at the annual Inquiry@Queen’s conference held in March.

With more than 1,400 undergraduate courses incorporating research processes and more than 400 research-intensive courses involving capstone projects, Queen’s is ensuring that students have ample opportunities within their programs of study to contribute to meaningful research with faculty or industry partners.

New summer programming

To further enhance research skills, Queen’s launched the Queen’s Summer Undergraduate Research Growth Experience (Q-SURGE), a professional development program that complements traditional academics with research training. In its inaugural year, 40 students completed Q-SURGE, which included six sessions on topics such as research integrity, inclusive research, and effective communication of research findings. The program’s holistic approach, which spans research design, planning, and knowledge mobilization across academia, industry, policy, and government, ensures that participants are well-equipped for the next steps in their research careers.

Queen’s undergraduates reach for the stars

One of the standout moments of the past year is Queen’s participation in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). This is a prestigious international initiative that allows students to design experiments for the International Space Station (ISS). Through a strategic partnership with NASA and Nanoracks LLC, a team of Queen’s students developed 14 unique experiments, one of which — The impact of lectins on Escherichia coli biofilm formation in microgravity — was selected for launch aboard the ISS in October 2024. This remarkable project highlights Queen’s growing presence in space research and showcases the ability of undergraduate students to contribute to cutting-edge scientific endeavors.

Strategic priorities and broader impact

Support for research opportunities across Queen’s campus is also a focus of several programs around the university. For example, the Arts & Science Undergraduate Research Fund (ASURF) can help students with funding any component of their research project, such as materials and travel, to make their work more accessible. The Queen’s University Biological Station (QUBS) north of the Kingston campus is one of Canada’s premier scientific field stations and has been offering a variety of programming for researchers at all levels for more than 70 years. Through a newly-formed partnership with The Knowledge Society (TKS), Queen’s will be offering expanded programming focused on empowering undergraduate students with the skills, mindset, and network to become researchers, leaders, and innovators.

In collaboration with the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (SGSPA), Queen’s also hosted more than international students through the Mitacs Globalink program, by bringing together students from the Greater Toronto Area and Eastern Ontario to engage with Queen’s research community.

Looking ahead: A transformative research ecosystem

Queen’s dedication to undergraduate research is not just a strategic priority — it is core to the student experience. Through established programs like USSRF and USRA, new initiatives like Q-SURGE, and partnerships such as those with SSEP, Mitacs, and TKS, Queen’s is empowering students to pursue their own research. From housing market analysis to the effects of environmental stressors, Queen’s undergraduates are furthering the university’s mission to solve the world’s most urgent challenges while crafting a unique experience for themselves.

To learn more about these and other undergraduate research opportunities, visit the Vice-Principal (Research) website.