Funding Opportunities

There are several ways students can receive the financial support they need to conduct research on campus over the summer or during the academic year. Some professors, particularly in the sciences, receive external grants to support their research projects. Often, that support includes providing financial resources to undergraduate researchers who can assist them in their laboratories. In that case, the student would apply for funding directly through the professor.

Other times, there are private fellowships and scholarships like the ones listed below, which cover summer support or a stipend during the academic year so that a student can continue research.

Arts & Sciences Summer Fellowships, Research and Travel Support
Research is an integral part of study in all disciplines. To encourage and support research by students, the School of Arts & Sciences has established a large undergraduate research program. Through this program, eligible students may apply for funding to assist in defraying the costs of conducting research and disseminating its results to the scholarly community. Award details and application information are available.

Luce Scholarship    Application
The Luce Foundation gave the University of Richmond’s School of Arts & Sciences a grant to promote the advancement of American women in the sciences, engineering and mathematics through higher education. The Clare Booth Luce Scholarship provides full tuition, room and board to cover the selected student’s junior and senior years, making it the most substantial source of private support for women in these fields. One student will be selected each year for three years. Recipients must be female students majoring in mathematics, computer science or physics. The first award was made in 2007 to Jill Petroski of Farmington, Conn.   

Merck
The Merck Institute for Science Education and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) gave a grant for $60,000 to the University of Richmond to support four research projects that pair biology and chemistry faculty and students. The program is designed to encourage collaboration between the two fields and to encourage students to pursue graduate education in chemistry and the life sciences. In 2007, 24 students were partially supported over the summer (the rest of their support came from the School of Arts & Sciences) by the grant and collaborated on projects that ranged from analyzing the genes important to the development of the eye to studies of the impact of expected temperature increases in the Chesapeake Bay.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
There are two different ways students researching in the sciences can receive financial support through the HHMI-supported undergraduate programs at Richmond:  

1. Current undergraduate students can apply for an Undergraduate Research Fellowship. If selected, students receive a summer stipend and travel allowance to work with a member of the faculty on an interdisciplinary project and present it at a professional conference.  The application deadline for 2008 is February 11. Additional information is available in the call for applications.
   
2. High school graduates who will enroll at the University of Richmond in the fall can apply to take part in a research internship during the summer before they begin college. They receive a summer stipend and learn about scientific instruments, designing experiments and critically reading and evaluating scientific literature. Preference is given to students from underrepresented groups in the sciences.

Beckman Scholars
Students studying chemistry, biochemistry, and the biological and medical sciences in the School of Arts & Sciences may apply for the Beckman Scholars Program, established in 1997 by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. In 2006, the Foundation provided the University of Richmond with a grant to support the research programs of five students over a three-year period. Each award totals $19,300 and is used to provide the students with stipends for two summers and the academic year in between, in addition to funds for travel and laboratory supplies, so that they can dedicate themselves to undergraduate research and personal development during their time at Richmond. The program is open to rising juniors and seniors who have a GPA greater than 3.30 and are willing to devote 15 continuous months to laboratory research at Richmond. Learn more about the Beckman Foundation or contact a Beckman mentor to find out more about the process and request a nomination.

LURE
The School of Arts & Sciences’ Department of Mathematics & Computer Science, in collaboration with three other mathematics programs, recently received a National Science Foundation grant in the amount of $1,495,369 to support undergraduate research fellowships, with the ultimate goal of encouraging more students to pursue undergraduate research in mathematics. First- and second-year students who are interested in mathematics research (the program is not limited to math majors) receive a summer stipend to conduct research under the supervision of a faculty mentor.  In 2007, nine students completed the ten-week program. Applications for 2008 will be due in late January.

Weinstein Fellows
To promote interdisciplinary collaboration in the social sciences, the School of Arts & Sciences sponsors a unique program called the Weinstein Fellows program. Thanks to the generous support of the Weinstein family, the program offers interdisciplinary teams of faculty and students a $25,000 grant to support an expansive research project. Applications are typically due November 30 of each year.

Center for Government and Policy
The Center for Government and Policy at the University of Richmond seeks to advance student and faculty research and scholarship on politics, institutions and public policy and to encourage greater discourse on politics and policy at the University of Richmond and in the greater Richmond community. Working with faculty, students may conduct research during the academic year or over the summer.