Research Opportunities

CPSC 448 allows students to explore areas of Computer Science not otherwise found in the undergraduate curriculum. The course can be either a one-term course (3 credits) or a two-term (6 credits) course, depending on the type of the study and the project involved.Students make a proposal to a faculty member to investigate a topic that goes beyond that which is covered in existing upper-year courses. If the faculty member agrees to supervise the student, then the student and faculty member must agree on the scope of the project, and on how achievement is to be evaluated.

CPSC 448 is available to students who have at least a 72% average. An ideal CPSC 448 candidate is an academically strong student who has a keen interest in investigating a particular topic. CPSC 448 projects can even branch out from an earlier USRA internship.

Check out more about this specialty course.

Students have a more systematic experience to research when taking the Honours program. All students in the Honours program enroll in the Honours Research Seminar course (CPSC 349). There is a more vigorous demand on the academic performance and has a thesis requirement (CPSC 449).

CPSC 349 is a 0-credit course that consists of a series of weekly seminars given by faculty in the department, which exposes students to various areas of computer science research. This will help students choose a topic and supervisor for their honours thesis (CPSC 449). By the following September, students are expected to have a project and supervisor identified. To complete CPSC 349, students need to attend at least 75% of the seminars, and submit a brief (2 to 3 page) review or critique of one of the talks. Link to UBC Calendar entry for CPSC 349.

CPSC 449 is the undergraduate computer science thesis course. Like 449s in other departments in the Faculty of Science, the main objective is to engage the student in research, under the supervision of a faculty member. CPSC 449 is an excellent choice for students who are considering a research career: the experience of doing an undergraduate thesis will help students make informed decisions about what to do after their BSc, including whether or not to go to graduate school. 

CPSC students in a MATH or STAT combined honours program don’t have to write a thesis. Other combined honours students can choose to write their thesis in either the CPSC department or the other department. Additional honours program requirements are found in the Degrees section.

Check out more about this specialty courses.

Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) are opportunities for undergraduate students to gain research work experience. There are multiple USRA awards given through these programs: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for Canadian citizens or permanent residents, Science Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) for both domestic and international students, Work Learn International Undergraduate Research Awards (WLIURA). In 2025, UBC committed additional funding to provide the Summer Enhanced Science Undergraduate Research Experience Awards (EnSURE) for both domestic and international students to be involved in both full-time and part-time research projects. Check the individual awards for their application requirements and deadlines.

The Computer Science Department USRA opportunities, project outlines and application forms can be found here.

This list provides USRA funding holders from the Faculty of Science.

You can approach a professor to inquire whether they have research opportunities for undergraduate students in their research group. A research group would sometimes refer themselves as a research lab.

Our Distinguished Lecture Series is a forum for researchers to speak about their latest advances that are at the forefront of the field for which they are renowned by peers. Students, faculty and the general public are all welcomed. DLS talks are usually scheduled on Thursdays (3:30-4:50 pm).

View DLS talks on YouTube.

The SCI Team organizes the Science Case Competition every year. Students form a team of 3-5, receive the case 10 days before the event date, and tackle the case leveraging their research skills and wide range of scientific knowledge, considering the ethical, social, and economic implications as they build their proposal.

The Faculty of Science selects and showcases undergraduate research projects on the faculty's website, and on display screens in Science buildings. The research experiences can include involvement on- or off-campus and are not limited to UBC Science labs. This program accepts research that ranges from course-based group projects to directed studies research to volunteering or working in a lab or even published research articles. Learn more.

The Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference (MURC) is a conference for UBC undergraduate students to present their research with fellow UBC students, family, and friends. Since 2003, the conference has been led by undergraduate students and is centred on showcasing and celebrating undergraduate student research through presentations, workshops, and keynote speakers. Besides presenting at the conference, students can also help out with the conference or be an adjudicator for the conference presentation. For more information about the conference, email undergraduate.research@ubc.ca.

The DSSG program is an interdisciplinary summer research program focusing on data-intensive projects. This program is open to full-time UBC students who have successfully completed 75 undergraduate credits, or enrolled in a graduate program at UBC Vancouver campus. While some experience with coding (e.g., Python, R) and/or statistical background is helpful to your application, DSSG welcome applications from students from all backgrounds--including those from the social sciences and the arts. The DSSG Program is eligible for UBC Science and Arts Co-op credits. International students are eligible to apply if they will be returning to school full-time in following winter term 1.

The Faculty of Medicine Summer Student Research Program (FoM SSRP) provides undergraduate students with an opportunity to explore their interest in health research by undertaking a summer project supervised by a Faculty of Medicine researcher. Projects are 4 or 8 weeks long. FoM SSRP Application packages must be submitted by a student-supervisor team as one application. All students must be in good academic standing and  must also have a minimum GPA/rank of 75%. In 2025, the application deadline was in February.

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities (URO) offers mentorship, networking, and a range of research-related services. Their mission is to inspire undergraduate students to pursue their research goals by fostering a supportive community. Contact rex.uro.ubc@gmail.com for more information.

The Research EXperience program (REX) exposes undergraduates to the research world. By connecting undergraduate students to graduate students or postdoctoral fellows, students with no prior experience work on a theoretical research project of their choice. A REX project is a research project proposal. While you won’t actually carry out the project, it should be feasible to complete during a Master’s or PhD. REX projects expose students to everything lab courses don’t – carrying out a project you are interested in, performing a complete literature review, and developing methods to answer a research question.​ Contact uro.ubc@gmail.com for more information.

Travel to another university with the support of Go Global to gain research experience in a structured, supported environment. You can go to Kenya, Denmark, Switzerland, the U.K., Germany, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Chile. Summer Research Abroad application deadlines are in December and January each year. Students can also seek global research opportunities on their own. Some programs may meet eligibility requirements for Go Global's Self-Directed Research Abroad Award. Research Abroad - Go Global.

The UBC Data Science Institute (DSI) is a collaboration hub that enables inter-faculty interactions on research problems involving large and complex data sets.

The federal government distributes a total of 3,000 Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) each year through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). UBC students can apply to NSERC USRA opportunities available at UBC, as well as those available at other Canadian institutions. You will need to proactively seek for these opportunities at other institutions by contacting their researchers, then follow the respective institutions' application procedure. A list of Canadian institutions holding NSERC USRA awards can be found here. This research funding is available only to Canadian citizens, permanent residents or persons with protected status. 

There are a variety of student-oriented or particularly student-friendly CS research venues to publish your research work. Talk to your research mentor to explore these and other discipline specific conferences:
 

• ACM Student Research Competition
• Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference
• Grace Hopper Conference
• Western Canadian Conference on Computing Education
• ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education
• Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges