Description: One student will be selected for the Advanced Research Opportunity Honors Fellowship. This fellowship provides support over three semesters of undergraduate research conducted towards the completion of an honors thesis in psychology.
Eligibility: Eligible students include Junior psychology majors of African-American, Cambodian American, Laotian American, Latinx (e.g., Guatemalan, Mexican, and/or Puerto Rican), Native American, Native Hawaiian, US Pacific Islander (Guam or American Samoa) descent, Vietnamese American, as well as first generation college students. Applicants for this fellowship should enroll in either the three-semesters honors sequence as part of this program (preferrable), or in a PSYC 290 research experience in the Spring followed by the two semester sequence of the Capstone Undergraduate Research program (PSYC 492). More information on these programs can be found here.
Match to Mentor: Students are expected to have identified a potential research mentor prior to applying to this program.
Timing/funding: Students awarded this fellowship would receive a stipend of $2,000/semester for three semesters, beginning in the Spring of Junior year and continuing through Spring of their senior year. Faculty research mentors are required to meet with applicants at least twice a month and receive $500 towards their research funds as compensation and/or a contribution towards any costs associated with the student's honors project.
Application Process: Students apply for this fellowship during the Fall of their Junior year (November 30). Application materials include a one-page personal statement, undergraduate transcript, and a letter of support from their chosen honors thesis research mentor. All applications materials should be sent to the psych-awards@mx.uillinois.edu in the Undergraduate Studies Office.
Selection Process: Selection of awardees will be made by the director of undergraduate studies in consultation with the undergraduate studies committee, with the announcement of winners made by December 15.
Progress report and payment structure: The stipend will be dispersed at two points in the semester (beginning and half-way through the semester) contingent on satisfactory progress in the honors program, capstone program or 290 experience. The progress report will be a short paragraph describing your research progress sent to your faculty research advisor, who will then forward it on to the department with a brief confirmation of the progress.
Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Psychological Science
Three students will be selected for the Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Psychological Science. The fellowship is aimed at attracting underrepresented minorities to psychology research training environments and providing them support within these training environments to ensure career development and learning. In addition to lab involvement, the program features monthly group coaching, social support, and professional development meetings led by a graduate student RA (either in the identified research mentor’s lab or with related research interests to the Undergraduate Research Fellow). The graduate student RA will receive $250 towards research or professional development per semester. The graduate student mentor’s role will be to help undergraduate students navigate first-time lab involvement in addition to these aforementioned areas. The fellow must register in a PSYC 290 research experience.
Timing/Funding: This fellowship would support two semesters of undergraduate research involvement, beginning in the Spring of the student's Sophomore year. Students awarded this fellowship would receive a stipend of $1,000/semester for two semesters.
Match to Mentor: Students must identify a mentor at the time of application. The research mentor, in turn, must identify a graduate student mentor for the Undergraduate Research Fellow by January 17.
Eligibility: This fellowship specifically targets ethnic/racial minorities, and eligible students would include Sophomores of African-American, Cambodian American, Laotian American, Latinx (e.g., Guatemalan, Mexican, and/or Puerto Rican), Native American, Native Hawaiian, US Pacific Islander (Guam or American Samoa) descent, Vietnamese American, as well as first generation college students.
Application Process: Students apply for this fellowship in the Fall of their Sophomore year (December 15 deadline). Application materials include a 1 page personal statement indicating which lab they will be working in or plans for laboratory applications, an undergraduate transcript, and one letter of recommendation (e.g. professional reference, academic advisory, instructor, research advisor etc). All applications materials should be sent to psych-awards@mx.uillinois.edu in the Undergraduate Studies Office.
Selection Process: Selection of awardees will be made by the director of undergraduate studies in consultation with the undergraduate studies committee, with the announcement of winners made by January 6.
Progress report and payment structure: The stipend will be dispersed at two points in the semester (beginning and half way through the semester) contingent on satisfactory progress in the 290 experience. The progress report will be a short paragraph describing your research progress sent to your faculty research advisor, who will then forward it on to the department with a brief confirmation of the progress.