Undergraduate Opportunities
LSI undergraduate opportunities enable students to contribute to projects with real life applications, which will enhance their understanding of science, expose them to a range of scientific careers, help them develop the practical skills they need to pursue high-level research, make them competitive for graduate and career opportunities in science, and contribute to the enhancement of scientific knowledge and the BC research sector. Undergraduate opportunities in the LSI exist through the following programs:
Department Directed Studies
Undergraduate students have unique opportunities to participate in life sciences research, under the direct supervision of faculty members, when they enroll in these courses (BIOL448, BIOC448, MICB448A, B and C). These 3 or 6 credit courses are designed to help students develop skills essential to carrying out independent research and lab work. A directed studies project provides students with valuable experience in writing up and analyzing experimental results. It also gives undergraduates the chance to interact with faculty members, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and research staff members in a laboratory setting.
Honours Thesis Courses
(e.g. BIOL449, MICB449, BIOC449, PHYL449) give undergraduate students a special research experience taking a project from inception, through data gathering, data analysis and interpretation, all the way to the writing of an honours thesis and oral defense of the project. These 6 credit courses are coupled with additional informational courses that are part of the honours program in the selected discipline. As with Directed Studies experiences, students have special opportunities to interact directly with faculty, staff, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in a research laboratory setting.
Summer Studentships
Special opportunities are available for undergraduate students to work on short-term research projects in laboratories within the LSI and receive a stipend to support their time working on the project. Please contact Principal Investigators directly to enquire about opportunities in their laboratories.
Featured Undergraduate Opportunity
CBR/LSI Summer Studentship Program 2025
Our Summer Studentship program provides students with an opportunity to get hands-on research experience during the summer months and to present their research at Research Day. This program also enhances the summer students’ learning with research skills workshops, career development events, and complementary social events.
Summer students will receive an award of up to $9750 for up to 16 weeks duration (May – August, 2025). These awards are designated for undergraduate students or medical students who are interested in working under the supervision of a CBR Principal Investigator (PI), Research Associate (RA), or Postdoctoral Fellow (PDF) over the summer period (May to August).
How to Apply:
- Students must connect with a CBR or LSI Principal Investigator, Postdoctoral Fellow, or Research Associate they are interested in working with.
- Complete the application package:
- Once a student and their supervisor have agreed to apply for the Program, they will work together to complete and submit an application. Download the 2025 Summer Studentship Application form here
- Submit your application package to Kaitlyn Chuong (kaitlyn.chuong@ubc.ca) by March 16, 2025. Please email the application package as a single PDF file.
- Applicants will be contacted in late March/early April with the results of the competition.