Undergraduate Research Project Marketplace

Students should browse through the offerings of available undergraduate research projects. To apply for a project, select the "Apply" text corresponding to that project and fill out the requested information. Keep in mind that it is possible that more students may apply for the same research project than are available positions for that project; i.e., this is a competitive process that encourages students to make a concerted effort on their application.

Contact Info	Research Project	Post date
Aaron Barth 2172 FRH barth@uci.edu	Supermassive black holes and active galactic nuclei Our group carries out observational research on galactic nuclei and supermassive black holes....read more Our group carries out observational research on galactic nuclei and supermassive black holes. Ongoing projects include direct measurement of masses of black holes in galaxy centers, studies of the physical properties of active galactic nuclei including reverberation mapping (monitoring the time variability of active galactic nuclei to map out their structure on scales of light-days around the black hole), and examination of the relationships between supermassive black holes and their host galaxies. We use data from many facilities including Lick Observatory, Keck Observatory, Las Cumbres Observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter array. There are many opportunities for undergraduate participation in various aspects of this work, including measurement of light curves of active galaxies using robotic telescope data. At present, I'm not able to offer any more summer research positions for summer 2019. Read less Time Commitment: Time commitment depends on the nature of the research project (summer project, senior thesis research, or other academic-year research). For paid summer research projects, the standard commitment is 40 hours/week for 8-10 weeks. Minimum GPA: 3.0 Paid: Possibly for summer projects, depending on available funding Apply for Supermassive black holes and active galactic nuclei	April 23, 2019
David Buote buote@uci.edu 2176 Reines Hall	Probing the Structure and Evolution of Massive Galaxies and Galaxy Clusters with X-Rays My research group studies the amount and distribution of baryons (stars, gas) and dark matter in galaxies and clusters of galaxies. This research lies within the wide-ranging field of galaxy...read more My research group studies the amount and distribution of baryons (stars, gas) and dark matter in galaxies and clusters of galaxies. This research lies within the wide-ranging field of galaxy formation and includes major topics of current interest such as the nature and distribution of dark matter and the metal enrichment of the universe. Clusters of galaxies and the most massive galaxies possess a hot intracluster / interstellar medium (T = 10-100 MK) that emits radiation at X-ray wavelengths. This hot gas / plasma usually extends to larger radii and, always in the case of clusters, contains even more baryonic mass (and metals) than the stars. X-ray measurements of the thermodynamic and kinematic properties of the hot gas allow the total underlying mass distribution to be mapped in these massive galaxy systems. Student projects for these topics are available involving the analysis, interpretation, and modeling of X-ray observations, especially with data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the XMM-Newton satellite. My goals in designing research projects in X-ray astrophysics are both to prepare the student for graduate studies in astrophysics and, equally importantly, to provide the student with a broad range of research skills that will help prepare them for a career in any field that uses quantitative analytical methods of data analysis. Read less Time Commitment: I do not require a specific time commitment, since it will vary depending upon the student and circumstances. As a guide, typically the student should aim to begin by spending at least 5-10 hours / wk. This effort should gradually increase so that during the later stages of the project, the student is spending roughly double that amount of time. Minimum GPA: 3.0 is preferred, but I will welcome students with a lower overall GPA if they have demonstrated >= 3.0 GPA in their recent physics courses. Paid: No Apply for Probing the Structure and Evolution of Massive Galaxies and Galaxy Clusters with X-Rays	December 5, 2018
Mike Cooper cooper@uci.edu FRH 2123	Galaxy Evolution My research group studies the global evolution of galaxies over cosmic time, with a particular emphasis on the role of environment in shaping galaxy properties....read more My research group studies the global evolution of galaxies over cosmic time, with a particular emphasis on the role of environment in shaping galaxy properties. For more, see past and ongoing project here. Read less Time Commitment: Typical time commitment is 5-10 hours per week. Minimum GPA: 3.0 Paid: No Apply for Galaxy Evolution	October 10, 2018
Manoj Kaplinghat, 2180 Frederick Reines Hall (building 401 on campus map)	Dark matter, Gravitational lensing Students and postdocs working with Kaplinghat are investigating a wide variety of phenomena in cosmology and particle physics....read more Students and postdocs working with Kaplinghat are investigating a wide variety of phenomena in cosmology and particle physics. The key questions driving the research are the identity of dark matter and observational probes of the energy content of the Universe. The group uses a wide variety of tools and data analysis techniques in their investigations. Past research topics include early Universe physics (questions such as "how is dark matter produced?"), theoretical investigations of the pillars of modern cosmology (cosmic microwave background and big bang nucleosynthesis), late-time astrophysics (questions such as "what properties of dark matter particles impact galaxies and how?"), cosmology (questions such as "how well do we know the expansion history of the universe and its implications?") and astro-particle physics (mostly related to indirect searches for dark matter particles). Read less Time Commitment: During the academic year, students working with Kaplinghat should expect to spend 5-10 hours per week. Minimum GPA: No strict requirement but the expectation is that the students are comfortable enough in their coursework to undertake significant research responsibility. Paid: No Apply for Dark matter, Gravitational lensing	October 10, 2018