UR2PhD

We’re one month away from our institutional partner application deadline! If your department is looking to make strides in expanding undergraduate research participation, this is a great time to get involved. More information about our partnerships can be found on our university/colleges webpage: https://lnkd.in/gdvutnUr

In less than a month, we’re heading to New Orleans, LA for our first Undergraduate Mentoring Workshop and Research Showcase.. Are you ready? 📥 Invitations went out last week. If you plan on attending, please complete your registration by March 31 We’re really looking forward to bringing together budding researchers, established professionals, and current graduate students.

At USF’s RARE Lab, undergraduate students are actively engaged in supporting and improving the creation of robots. Rex Gonzalez, a junior studying Computer Science, has been actively involved in the lab since his sophomore year. Over the past semester, Rex received financial support from UR2PhD to continue contributing to Bloom, a social companion robot designed to counter loneliness and stimulate cognitive engagement. Rex shares, “Participating in the UR2PhD program has greatly shaped my ability to participate in research. UR2PhD allowed me to grow as a professional and experience the importance of extra curricular work.��� He added that participating in research helped him land an internship, as he built several desirable transferable skills. Beyond enabling his personal and professional growth, UR2PhD helped Rex grow in confidence. “When I started participating in research, I did not know very much and wasn’t sure how to start a project from scratch. This led me to feel uncertain, insecure, and like an imposter. And while I still remember those feelings, I’ve gradually learned and developed my skills. I’ve even become a lead software engineer on Bloom and that just shows how far I have grown due to the guidance, learning, and experience I’ve had.” As part of his experience, Rex has worked with more than 15 other researchers and has contributed to the development of multiple papers. We’re looking forward to seeing how Rex’s research experience serves him throughout his career.

Ashley Pang, a graduate student at the University of California, Riverside, recently received funding to attend SIGCSE TC in St. Louis, MO, with her mentee. Ashley shares, “The UR2PhD program is a great way for grad students to connect with their undergraduate mentees. It helped me take a mentorship role and help guide my mentee in multiple aspects including life in grad school, research work, attending conferences, etc. My ultimate goal is to become a professor - and I found this program helpful, as one of the core responsibilities is working with and mentoring undergrads. UR2PhD helped me realize how much I enjoy mentoring, and allowed me to reflect on what my advisors have passed down to me.” She adds, “I would recommend this program to my peers especially because of the funding opportunities. I think being able to bring my mentee with me to a conference was the most impactful experience and it wouldn't have been possible without the UR2PhD program.” We’re glad to have been able to encourage Ashley in her goal of working with her mentees – and we’re thrilled to see them working together to present and publish their work! 📝If, like Ashley, you’re hoping to reflect on your mentoring experiences and styles, we’re currently accepting applications for our summer graduate student mentor training course. Apply today - https://lnkd.in/gcb7tkEU

Yoshee Jain participated in the UR2PhD Research Training Course last spring. She recalls that the curriculum covered in the class helped prepare her. "This endeavor equipped me with the necessary vocabulary and elements for crafting and presenting research papers and a thesis, which is crucial for my future engagement in graduate research.” Last year, Yoshee was also funded to travel to CSCW, where she and her teammates presented a poster about moderation in internet communities. We’re looking forward to supporting more students as they take their next steps, publishing and presenting their work. Learn more about our technical conference travel awards by visiting our webpage: cra.org/ur2phd

🗞️EXTRA! EXTRA! The March edition of Computing Research Association’s Computing Research News (CRN) is out! 🗞️ This month, our team highlighted our partnership with the University of Toronto Mississauga’s Computer Science department. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/gmGfJ4fA Is your department interested in becoming a partner? Learn more about our partnerships by visiting: https://lnkd.in/gdvutnUr

Every term, UR2PhD partners with institutions who are committed to expanding undergraduate participation in research. Institutional partners commit to matching students into groups, so that they’re eligible to take our Research Training Course. Local coordinators, who lead planning efforts at institutional partner schools, are eligible to earn stipends based on their success. Our team is currently accepting applications for our summer and fall terms. To be considered for a partnership, please complete your application by April 30. Additional information about institutional partnerships can be found here: https://lnkd.in/gdvutnUr

In Case You Missed It: We extended our deadline to apply for our first-ever Mentoring Workshop and Research Showcase – and we’ve expanded eligibility. If you’d like to be considered, please be sure to apply by TODAY! About the workshop: 📅 Happening on April 24, 2026 (that’s just 46 days away!) 📍 In: New Orleans, LA – an iconic city, known for being the birthplace of Jazz – and offering a myriad of Creole and Cajun food options. 🌟 Participants will have the opportunity to learn from the community and senior researchers, while building their confidence and presentation skills. Application link: https://lnkd.in/g4rGGdzv

Jose Barcelo Garcia received REU funding last year to be able to address challenges of analyzing the exponential growth of data in metabolomics and proteomics, where existing tools require substantial resources. His contributions to the research include improving search tools, while making them more accessible, secure, and efficient. Reflecting on the experience, Jose shared that the REU “solidified my understanding of research. I am applying to PhD programs and I don't think this is something that would have happened without the UR2PhD program.” And in the fall, with support from UR2PhD, Jose was able to present his work at the TECHON conference in Austin, TX. Jose recalls, “It was exciting to showcase the technical advances I made, especially the improvements in memory efficiency and privacy-preserving learning, and to see interest from others in the potential impact of these tools.” “Participating in the UR2PhD program was a core experience for me. I gained hands-on research skills in bioinformatics, machine learning, and security, working on projects that optimized large-scale biological data searches and developed privacy-preserving federated learning algorithms. The program helped me achieve my initial goals of deepening my technical expertise and clarified my interest in pursuing graduate school in secure learning and homomorphic encryption.”

You don’t want to miss these upcoming deadlines: ▶️ Undergraduate Mentoring Workshop and Research Showcase applications close tomorrow, Saturday, February 28 – awarded students will receive travel support to present their research at our event ▶️ REU funding applications close tomorrow, Saturday, February 28 – awarded students will receive $8000 for participating in a 10 week research experience ▶️ Continuing graduate student mentor applications close on Sunday, March 1 – awarded students will receive $250 for their efforts For additional details about these opportunities, please visit our website: https://cra.org/ur2phd/