Resources for Finding Research Opportunities

Handshake

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Handshake.com is a great resource for UC Davis students to find jobs and internships. Visit the website here to start searching for available opportunities!

 

UC Davis Departments

  • Undergraduate Research Center
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    The URC is a great place for students to start thinking about research! You can visit the URC at the Student Community Center on campus, or view the website here. Their services include: advising, information sessions and workshops, funding, programming and conferences.
  • Career Center
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    The Career Center can help students explore their career interests and offers appointments with many skilled career advisors. Explore the Career Center website here.
  • Global Learning Hub
  • Global Learning Hub Banner

    Visit the Global Learning Hub's site here to learn more about abroad and remote internship and research opportunities.

 

Research and Internship Institutes

  • Health-Related Internships

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    HRI’s are health-related internships offered each quarter in fields including medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, dentistry, pharmacy, optometry, nutrition, and public health. Sign up through the Career Center portal! Spaces are limited each quarter. 

  • UC Davis MIND Institute
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    The UC Davis MIND Institute is a collaborative international research center, committed to the awareness, understanding, prevention, and treatment of the challenges associated with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Visit their website here to see a list of research labs within the center.
  • UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain
  • UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain

    The Center for Mind and Brain (CMB) is devoted to supporting the collaborative work of world-class scientists from a broad spectrum of disciplines encompassing divergent social, biological, computational and medical perspectives. Find out more about ongoing CMB research projects here.

  • Perinatal Origins of Disparity (POD) Center

  • DoHaD

    The Perinatal Origins of Disparities Center brings together behavioral science and technology research to better understand – and ultimately intervene in – prenatal and early life factors that affect later life health, specifically factors that are disproportionately present in disadvantaged communities. 

  • NIH Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP)

  • The goal of The Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) is to develop a diverse pool of well-trained postbaccalaureates who will transition into and complete rigorous biomedical, research-focused doctoral degree programs (e.g., Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D.) in biomedical fields relevant to the NIGMS mission. The Research Education grant provides support for personnel costs (e.g., salary support of Principal Investigator(s) and a program coordinator), participant costs (i.e., remuneration for PREP scholars through salary and wages, and participant travel), and other program related expenses (e.g., consultant costs, equipment, supplies). Please follow the Information for Students or Recent Graduates link for more information. 

    PREP participants work as research postbaccalaureates at 9 person-months (75% full-time) effort, with the other 3 person-months (25% full-time effort) devoted to further skills development. The academic preparations may include courses, workshops, seminars, supplemental instruction, or lectures that will enhance the technical, operational, and professional skills of the participants. The courses taken should be appropriate to the requirements for admission to, and successful completion of rigorous biomedical research-focused doctoral degree programs. It is the expectation that most PREP participants will transition to a rigorous biomedical, research-focused doctoral degree program following a one-year postbaccalaureate experience. PREP programs are not intended to prepare participants for medical degrees.

    See this list of PREP Participating Institutions!

  • UC Davis School of Medicine: Student-Run Clinics

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    Student-Run Clinics train students in delivering primary care services while simultaneously improving access to care in underserved communities.

    All student-run clinics have an application process for interested undergraduate students. Please visit their websites to learn more!

    Bayanihan Clinic | Culturally sensitive care to an extraordinarily diverse community
    Clinica Tepatí | Primary care services for the Latino community
    Gender Health Clinic
    Hmong Lifting Underserved Barriers (HLUB)
    Imani Clinic | Healing begins with faith
    Joan Viteri Memorial Clinic | Health care for high-risk populations
    Knights Landing One Health Center
    Nadezhda Clinic
    Paul Hom Asian Clinic | Commitment to the Asian community
    RIVER Pediatric Clinic
    Shifa Clinic | Culturally sensitive care for an ethnically diverse community
    The Willow Clinic | Serving people without homes
    VN Cares

  • Emergency Medicine Research Associate Program (EMRAP)

  • The Emergency Medicine Research Associate Program (EMRAP) is a unique opportunity for undergraduates to learn about research and healthcare within a busy emergency department.

    EMRAP typically recruits UC Davis students:

    Late January to early February for start in Spring Quarter

    Late August to early September for start in Fall Quarter

    Late October to early November for start in Winter Quarter

  • Infectious Disease Student Assistant Researcher Program (IDStAR)

  • The Infectious Disease Student Assistant Researcher Program (IDStAR) is a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to learn about clinical research and healthcare within Infectious Diseases. IDStAR is a volunteer program and is developed from the established, EMRAP program in Emergency Medicine.

    IDStAR supports the ongoing clinical and epidemiological research within the Department of Internal Medicine. Working in IDStAR affords the opportunity to find out whether students will enjoy working within medicine, clinical research or an ancillary health care profession.

    Volunteering as a Student Researcher, gives students the opportunity to come to clinics with faculty, observe operations of units and services across the hospital, learn from clinical research staff, nurses and other team members impacted by clinical research.

    The internship requires one 3-hour time block shift a week and can commit to more if needed/interested. The internship entails onsite patient visit shadowing and assisting with research administrative tasks. There is no homework element.

    What you might take away from this opportunity:

    - Learning hospital systems and operations
    - Working with infectious disease faculty
    - Learning medical terminology
    - Collecting and processing samples
    - Learning about signs and symptoms of diseases
    - Conducting surveys or performing assessment
    - Upon completion, outstanding volunteers can expect to receive letters of recommendation for excellent service.

    Fall 2025 Application: https://forms.office.com/r/KJSukFc2Dk
    Fall 2025 application deadline: August 1, 2025

  • Research Experience in Surgery (RESURG)
  • Research Experience in Surgery is a selective clinical research internship based in the UC Davis Medical Center's Department of Surgery.  As a RESURG Clinical Research Assistant with RESURG, you will learn about and engage in clinical research, work with clinicians, observe surgical procedures, and gain valuable professional skills.

 

Other Resources for Finding Research Opportunities