Strategic investment in student researchers

A smiling young woman in a black and white polka-dot blouse gestures toward her research presentation poster on an easel while speaking to a man in a grey suit jacket inside an auditorium lobby.

Supporting funded undergraduate student research experiences has become a growing strategic investment for the Fralin Life Sciences Institute in partnership with the Office of Undergraduate Research.

Early access to research gives students a launchpad to build confidence and conduct high-impact work early in their academic careers, as well as a collaborative environment where undergraduates participate alongside graduate students and faculty.

The Fralin Life Sciences Institute Executive Director, Rob McCarley, emphasizes that undergraduate research is an integral gear in cross-disciplinary initiatives, spanning invasive species research, infectious disease, and environmental science.

Here are some of our summer undergraduate researchers in action at the Virginia Tech Summer Research Conference, held at the end of July 2026:

A small group of students stand around an academic poster titled "Parasitoid wasps" on an easel, engaging in discussion during a research conference in a lobby.

A young man in a blue polo shirt and tan pants points to a section of his research poster titled "Investigation of diversity and distribution of Xylella fastidiosa..." on an easel while presenting to a woman standing beside him in a lobby.

A young man in a white polo shirt presents his research poster titled "Laying Foundations: An immersive data collection platform..." to another student in a grey hoodie during an academic symposium in a lobby setting.

Summer Biotech Undergraduate Program

A group of eleven young adults stand outdoors in a line against a stone building facade and green foliage for a group photo.

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program

2026 Summer SURF.jpg A group of fourteen young adults stands outdoors in a line against a stone building facade and green foliage for a group photo.

Macromolecules Innovation Institute Summer Undergraduate Program

A group of twelve students poses on the outdoor concrete steps of a large stone building with arched wooden doors. They are arranged in two rows—seven standing on the lower steps and five on the step above behind them.