About Us

The Office of Undergraduate Research supports UNC Charlotte students, faculty, and staff in their endeavors to expand the quantity and enhance the quality of undergraduate research experiences on campus. OUR provides undergraduate research fellowships and opportunities to communicate research to others through multiple research symposiums and funding to national conferences to present the research.

Please use this site as your starting point to learn about the many opportunities for UNC Charlotte students in undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activities! Browse our research-related opportunities and information for UNC Charlotte undergraduate students interested in engaging in independent or collaborative research with faculty members and research professionals. Click here to Meet the Staff or learn about OUR Faculty Fellows.

Mission

The mission for the Office of Undergraduate Research at UNC Charlotte is to promote scholarly identities through experiential learning by advancing access to and engagement with mentored research and creative activities as an integral part of the undergraduate curricular and co-curricular programs for Charlotte’s diverse student body.

VISION

Our vision is to expand research opportunities and promote academic success for undergraduate students through innovation, mentored scholarship, creative expression, and entrepreneurship. This high-impact practice enhances students’ ability to construct knowledge and prepares them to become life-long learners and to address future problems as enlightened citizens and leaders.

Key aspects of fulfilling this vision include:

  • Creating equitable opportunities for all undergraduates to engage in creative learning and critical inquiry that increases relevant career competencies and curiosity about how they can impact their personal and professional communities.  
  • Removing financial, social, and/or cultural barriers, so research can become a central feature of the undergraduate experience for all interested students at UNC Charlotte. 
  • Serving as the primary campus resource for students, faculty, and staff seeking guidance or support related to each of these activities.

Vision in Action

We strive to be an office that provides opportunities for research training and development while fostering academic and professional growth for students. The goal of OUR is to build community for scholars, artists, and researchers at UNC Charlotte.

OUR will accomplish its mission and vision by:

  • Directly providing opportunities for students to engage in mentored research and scholarly activities through the OUR Scholars programs.
  • Promoting scholarly discussions through dissemination and communication of research via an undergraduate research journal and multiple on-campus presentation events each year.
  • Developing professional skills in mentors and mentees through workshops, seminars, learning communities, and educational sessions. 
  • Supporting researcher identity development through off-campus conference participation via conference attendance grants.