Research Opportunities

Ajay Baindur.

When Ajay Baindur entered Jacobs medical school in the fall of 2019, he was well prepared thanks to research he conducted as an undergraduate in the lab of Caroline E. Bass, PhD, assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology. “I shadowed others in the lab and ran technical tasks for a couple of months when I was given my own study, which is amazing. I didn’t expect to be running my own study that soon,” says Baindur, a biomedical sciences alumnus. “For Dr. Bass — and I'm sure a lot of other professors here at UB — once they see students coming in on time, getting the work done, staying organized, they open up other opportunities.”

Our research opportunities include summer or academic year fellowships sponsored by professional societies, volunteer positions in both basic and clinical sciences faculty labs, work in school-affiliated research centers and independent study to develop honors theses.

Our independent study programs give you the chance to pursue your research interests at an advanced level. You can conduct independent research under a mentor’s guidance or collaborate on ongoing projects in a mentor’s laboratory. Some area agencies also offer experience-building volunteer opportunities.

Finding Research Opportunities

Thomas Bassett.

Thomas Bassett knows that working on research under the direction of Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology faculty members Caroline E. Bass, PhD, and Ken T. Wakabayashi, PhD, has prepared him well when he eventually goes on for his PhD. “Being able to attend a large research university like UB has exposed me to a tremendous amount of opportunities I  otherwise would not have,” says Bassett, who is pursuing a double major in bioinformatics in computational biology and computer science. “The amount of research going on here is very wide in scope.”

You may find a research mentor several ways:

  • View our faculty profiles, where you can search by interest and department.
  • Search for opportunities on the Center for Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities website.
  • Ask faculty who have taught your science classes. They may also be able to suggest other faculty you can contact or area agencies with available opportunities.
  • Watch for announcements of research opportunities posted on the preprofessional health listserv and in Honorable Mention, the electronic newsletter sent to members of the University Honors College. Subscribe to the preprofessional health listserv by following UB prehealth advising’s instructions.

Research Opportunities in Our Majors

  • Biochemistry
    9/13/22
    The biochemistry major requires you to complete eight credit hours of laboratory research.
  • Biomedical Sciences
    7/14/20
    You may earn credit in the biomedical sciences major for independent study in another department or by taking Independent Research (BMS 498), Biomedical Sciences Research.
  • Neuroscience
    5/16/22
    You may earn credit in the neuroscience major by taking Undergraduate Research in Neuroscience (NRS 498 TUT).
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology
    5/26/20
    Conducting lab research as an undergraduate lays the groundwork for a successful career in pharmacology and toxicology, neuroscience and related fields in the biomedical sciences.

Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE)

Our 10-week Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) provides you with hands-on experience in one of our state-of-the-art biomedical research laboratories. This program can be your foot in the door to our PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences.

Learn more about the SURE program